I totally get this criticism

FULL VIDEO HERE:

that's interesting, but what do you think of this?

Thats not what they're trying to do though when shadow says he'll fight with maria's wish in his heart, he means that he'll live for himself while also remembering maria without trying not to. the end of shadow 05 literally has him going "fuck this my past is stupid"

"Those things cannot exist together" people in real life live like that all the time, what is homeboy talking about

while I understand the criticism, I don’t agree with it. grief isn't linear calling it backpedaling undermines the relationship between the characters and makes this ending scene hit harder. all the game does in my opinion is recontextualize shadow’s character.

Fairs but the point here is his story was never about grief. Gens turned it into that. The core of Shadow is his agency. Gens writes him around the other characters instead of the reverse. He doesn't reinforce his own arc or do any emotional legwork. Maria & Rouge do it for him

I’m mixed on this because I don’t really think sa2 shadow in any way is back other than the wish being prominent with his character But I will say I very much would have and do prefer shadow before shadow gens and post 05

It's more than the wish. It's about how passively Shadow is written in a game that aims to help people understand him. Shadow is regressed so other characters can explain his character & do all the emotional work for him.

I don't think they change It or they back pedales, the whole point is to make shadow move on because he has been repressing his feelings on María on only focusing on missions, thats why dark beginnings and even in this Game he tries to not think on María because she is dead