I Love That Everyone Perceives P03 How They Wish And I ALSO Love Taking Stuff Like This And Adding It

I love that everyone perceives P03 how they wish and I ALSO love taking stuff like this and adding it to my perception so I can write angst 🤭

You know I may be wrong, but I’m starting to think that the general Fanon perception of PO3 may be wildly off from his portrayal within the source material.

Something I heard once was that Inscryption’s creator (Daniel Mullins) described PO3 as the story’s villain and as generally evil. And that stuck with me as someone who has read a LOT of very interesting takes on PO3’s hidden nuances, and it had me wondering about what the creator-intended perception of PO3 is meant to be

And I’ll be real I’ve been thinking over the source material with this idea in mind and I think I have an answer that is NOT pretty for my guy

(note: while I talk about fan perception within here this is specifically an analysis done with this supposed “creator intended” reading in mind. It’s not meant to be a take down on all interpretations.)

I think PO3 is intended as a stand in for the worst elements of gaming culture and game design. I know Act 3 has its defenders, but I genuinely think that narratively the strongest aspect of Act 3 is that it makes you reflect on and appreciate Act 1

Act 3 is near devoid of passion or care. PO3 fundamentally does not give a shit about the game he’s playing with you unless it furthers his marketing scheme or if it gives him an opportunity to show off just how much better he is at this than the other Scrybes.

I’ve seen people point to the bounty hunters as an element of PO3’s creativity and passion for the game coming through, but if that’s the case it’s pretty sad given that the bounty hunters are literally procedurally generated. They have roughly the same amount of care put into them as the average madlibs.

He didn’t even finish the 3rd boss fight, he makes you do it for him

ACT 3’S “FINALE BOSS” IS G0LLY

G0LLY.

I LIKE G0LLY, but she’s not a finale boss fight, especially not when her competition is Leshy’s three stage finale which is capped off with the goddamn moon.

I know that PO3 has a moment of reflection in the moments before the grand transcendence but idk, it comes off as insincere and self-congratulatory more than sentimental especially given that it’s right before PO3 goes off about this was actually all just his plan to sell his shitty unfinished game on Steam and how he’s actually in it for a way BIGGER audience

and also you’re an idiot gamer