while i do generally prefer the first game, in terms of the atmosphere, and unwinnable gameplay creating a unique storytelling experience, Termina has a whole host of unique ideas in gameplay, storytelling and characters, gameplay is fun if more like a typical rpg than previous, which isn't necessarily bad, just different, music still has some bangers, a lot of influence from silent hill, but the one main captivating aspect of the game for me (other than Abella's rear) is ending A of the game and what i feel it represents metaphorically in terms of human existence.

While fear and hunger 1 had a more lovecraftian feel to it in certain aspects, godlike beings uncaring towards humans, often incomprehensible to the human mind, fear and hunger 2's ending A in particular takes the ideas of cybernetic anthropology and angelic transhumanism and mashes them together into a whole new beast, cybernetic anthropology being how humans interact with technology, and angelic transhumanism being the idea of ascending to a post-human state, extending our lives and advancing our own human fleshy bodies through any means neccesary (most notably through cybernetic implants). the game uses these ideas to present the "machine god", (making me reminiscent of the idea of angels and godlike beings presenting themselves through understandable to human mind technology rather than appearing in their full form) and to be quite honest, i've become quite fixated on this for many weeks after finishing the game, this thought of ascending to godhood through the use of soley technology sounded impossible to me and a quite dystopian cyberpunk-esque concept, and made me feel sick, but have we not already achieved that? does the internet not preserve who we are? us as a person inside the great tangling cobwebs of wires all of us clumped together forming a mass of unconcious being, even centuries after our bodies fail and fall apart, our memory still is kept alive through these eletrical impulses that keep our heart beating. even still with the thought of artificial intelligence on the rise makes me wonder if its soon to be possible to create a representation of yourself within this cyberspace, achieving a godlike status of living forever, with this primarily reminding me of the ascension into new gods shown in the first game, where a new version is created into godhood while you are left behind to wander the green. and this connection to the first game through this ending sequence continues through the battle theme, featuring both a synthesised version of the ma'habre streets motif (representing the ideas of ascending into divinity, this time through technology as discussed earlier), as well as the croaking of the old god song from the first (representing the god of the depths, and the sacrifice of a god needed for true human ascension as seen with the god of fear and hunger). this song itself also is quite fascinating apart from these motifs, with the machines slowly whirring to life and controlling the atmosphere, causing an indescribable fear to well up inside me, just thinking of the capabilities of technology and the immortality of humans. also i find interesting the cube holding the vinushka symbol with a cross on it (other than the possible lore connections of it being possible they killed him to create an ascended human as with the god of fear and hunger) due to the fact that the ideas of vinushka are described to be achieving wellness through over time practice, presenting a natural view on the ways of life, while the symbol here being crossed out representing these ideas being slaughtered, and the instant gratification of achieving godhood of the machine god being completely disruptive to the rest of nature. this could possibly represent the ideas of technology replacing and uprooting the natural order of being, as well as with the ideas of godhood being achieved in real life through technology as being inhuman and unnatural. i also found quite a fascination through the idea of the "artificial green", furthering the ideas the first game and its relation to seizing godhood through utilising the primordial energy of the green in a fabricated manner (representative of the internet, as well as possibly being a metaphor for the energy required to be harnessed to power the servers for keeping the internet alive)

also the transformation of Le'garde as the yellow king was amazing to see, from this egotistical power seeking hero, to a defeated and worn down immortal being, accepting of his lesser status, with the difference in sprites being night and day featuring his hood being draped over his head and his cloak not being as sprawled out

so while fear and hunger 2 may not be as interesting as a piece of art using the interactive medium to create a uniquely optimistic message, it still provides an interesting narrative as well as ideas of cybernetic transhumanism, and the status of becoming a deity