This canto feels like a bit of a break after how extravagant the last two cantos were, Canto 8 is more of a traditional adventure and is quite tame when compared to don's canto which went really off the rails with what they could do with a character. In alot of ways don and hong lu are the same archetype just expressed in different ways. I still prefer dons approach to the character of what I would call the "mask" although im sure there is a far better term for it. It really is strange how they chose to do don and hong lu back to back with how they have so many similarities and it makes me wonder if that was done on purpose to show two types of that kind of story. All of the fights were really good (even the final boss despite how much it frustrates me even now) I especially loved the arena dungeon and feel like it was the best dungeon theyve done so far, tho im sad that there wasnt two dungeons.
The final boss to me felt kind of hollow since there wasnt a dungeon to go alongside it which made the story feel rushed at that point, especially becoming apparent with how long the final cutscene is. All in all I really liked canto 8 and think its a proud contender for first place alongside canto 7 (but as peak as it is the finale was just too peak in canto 7 and felt like more of a real confrontation of dons psyche given the physical weight of it)
I really like the explanation behind hong lu's ego as it was one that I
abused used alot throughout the game which only made me wonder more about what it represented with how simple it is compared to other ego's. I really wish that the final cutscene replaced his ego tho it looks like it was perfectly made for it to be used as his new ego
IT WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME
FVCKING PEAK
one final note, did hong lu frown at all? I assumed the culmination of his chracter growth would be that he showed true sadness and perhaps cryed showing the flood of emotion but it seems even in the flood of emotion cutscene he still smiles, yes I know that the point is that his smile was finally genuine but it feels anticlimactic for him to still have that permanent smile on his face throughout the entire thing and even after. Whats the point of this canto if he still acts the same? Perhaps like canto 7 we will have to wait to see the effects of this canto in subsequent intervallos.
