The game has plenty of devastating cutscenes/scripted events where you don't do anything but press X to advance the scene

But Ethlyn and Quan's death happens during active gameplay

Like, your army is at the top of this big desert map, and you are actively deciding where to send your units... and every time you advance a turn, their situation at the bottom of the desert gets worse and worse

So what you're probably trying to do is send your army down there as fast as you can to fight the dragon knights that are cutting them up

but because it's sand and most of your units are on horseback, you really can't send them far at all

so every time you end your turn, there are way fewer Leonster knights who can fight back against the dracoknights

And because Ethlyn and Quan were probably pretty well-leveled before they left your army, they have a lot of HP, but all that does it drag out their inevitable demise

it's SO CRUEL. it is THE most upsetting thing I have ever played through in a video game

and I have played many video games!

one day I will finish reading the game and put travant on a tdm for everyone's enrichment

that's the way to do it. give you just enough control to make you feel completely powerless

paperbacks genuinely Travant is one of THE most orlycore characters I have encountered

lumieresdedragon yesssss. It makes it SO much more brutal

they made that one for me smh

THEY DID

Forcing you go through it in gameplay also ties in really well with the thing that becomes clear at the end of chapter 3 which is that Sigurd has lost control

Technically you are in control of Sigurd's army, you can send it here and there, but the decisions he makes (through you, the player, moving him and his followers around on the map) have no ability to alter the outcome

And even though he's beaten one of the men who brought down his family, and you go on after crossing the desert to beat another

it doesn't matter

victory is no longer possible for him