Sometimes sacrifices must be made. The fact is, controlling the main character mattered very little. Ann was a conduit for the Will of the World and Homura only had one way to sever that connection. It was certainly a bittersweet ending but there's nothing wrong with feeling emotions aside from dopamine-fueled-bliss all the time. Heck, this game drew a lot of inspiration from Nier... So let's just say that it could have been a *LOT* worse...

If the fact that it's a game doesn't matter, tell the story in another form of media. All of the reasonings it had to be this way are arbitrary and could easily be changed without changing any of the rest of story. Harumi could give us some special barrier thing to capture null in, we could have an actual final confrontation with dark hime enhanced by the system, or they could just let the day be saved when we beat admini without the need of a sacrifice.

The stories themes aren't about sacrifice either. If anything, this ending is out of theme. We are asked again and again if we will persist even if it means nothing, we refuse to let these sad girls die, except at the end, where we suddenly do give up. A few of the stories here are specifically about finding the will to go on, so it's very strange to upend that with the ending.

It's not about feeling bliss it's about the disconnect of succeeding all the gameplay challenges and not being rewarded for it in the narrative.

Nobody said that it being a game doesn't matter.

Nobody said that being a game means that the player has to have total control over everything and is guaranteed a dopamine-fueled blissful ending, either. It's still a story. You just get to play a role in it. Just like an actor doesn't get to write the ending to the play they have a role in.

You aren't just playing a role in a story though, you are playing a character in a game. A game that has a series of tests for the player. It'd be like taking a math test in school, getting every single question completely correct, and still getting an F.

Also I'm saying if "The fact is, controlling the main character mattered very little." is true, then it doesn't matter that it was a game. Make me control a character where it DOES matter a lot that I'm controlling the character. Thats the whole point. We have many other forms of media where you don't. This is the ONLY one where it should matter.

Originally posted by RinTheWanderer:

If I win in the fight, let me win in the narrative. Give me a true ending where I can save everyone. I'll fight a harder final boss for it or collect a bunch of mcguffins or whatever, but at least give me a path to win.

And the someday once again part isn't enough, thats not the same Ann AND I still had to make a sacrifice instead of just beating the enemies until theres nothing left to stop me. Tell a bittersweat story in a form of media where I'm not controlling the main character and passing every challenge you put in front of me.

I'm left feeling unsatisfied. Bonus negative points for making me lose in the cutscene after winning in the gameplay several times in the game. Not once has that felt good in any video game.

Agreed, a bittersweet ending sometimes is the best, since we couldn't overcome all the barriers we were facing, the ending where a new Ann is created just for the sake of a New Game + felt cheap, lowered all the weight of the loss, made me feel like the real Ann didn't mattered. She was the best character, give her a proper ending sad or happy, but not a shortcut AI stuff.