Arches (Thoughts & Ramblings)
I just finished reading Arches last night, and I have a lot of scattered thoughts about it. I read it with some friends over the course of a month, which was longer than I would've liked. The breaks I took probably had a slight negative impact on my experience, since I forgot some of the smaller details along the way, but it wasn't too bad.
I was really excited to get into it after hearing it was a (sort of) sequel to Echo. I loved Echo, so I couldn't wait to read it. The immediate boost in production quality was very evident right from the start. It was kinda crazy seeing everything in HD.
Immediately after I finished reading it, my thoughts were aligned with not loving it as much as I love Echo. I think a big part of it was my expectations being a little off. I was hoping for a direct sequel, maybe Cam and Dev meeting up with Chase with them tackling whatever Echo’s aftermath has to offer, similar to one of the post-route endings from Echo. Instead, the visual novel was more focused on how Cam and Dev navigated their relationship before and after their visit to Echo.
I think the story would have felt more impactful if the focus on their relationship had come first. I wish I had been able to get to know and love these characters on their own before all the events at Echo went down. It kinda of throws you into everything immediately. With Echo, there was the pre-split intro, and then each route had quite a lot that happens before the actual problems of the route (mass hysteria). With Arches, it’s kind of like they arrive in Echo and then everything goes bad immediately. I think being able to learn more about Cam and Dev’s relationship would’ve made the events that happened feel more emotional and I would feel a lot more bad for the characters.
I REALLY liked Cam’s split mind thing that was going on. It made him so interesting and I loved that he could see the outcomes of the situations he was going through. It really gave me Everything Everywhere All at Once vibes, and that’s my favorite movie of all time.
The only part of the VN that seriously sticks with me, is Cameron and Devon’s argument a few months after they leave Echo when Cam’s taking his meds while Dev watches over to make sure everything’s okay. That was the moment when it felt the most real to me, and a part I feel like I truly understood what this VN was about.
It’s not about solving the problems in Echo, it’s about trauma, addiction, the past, the present, and loss.
I lost my mom about a week before I started to read Arches. I had no clue that the loss of Cam’s mother was going to be a part of the story, or even how much of an effect it has on the story. I’m not going to get super into detail about my personal life, but I fully understand what he’s going through.
In regard to Cam and Dev’s relationship though, I’m definitely Devon in the relationship. Devon’s love for Cameron even when Cameron is going through his stuff and honestly putting strain on the relationship (not his fault at all) is very admirable and I very much know how it goes.
Love is complicated. Everyone just needs someone, even if they feel otherwise. I’m glad Cam has Dev. He’s really good for him.
Ultimately, I hope the EchoProject team continues with the Echoverse or creates a new visual novel with a more grounded approach. I'm not really interested in reading Adastra (again) or Khemia since they both lean more into a sci-fi style with animal planet versions of Rome and Egypt.
I think I’m going to reread Arches by myself in a month or so, just to see if my thoughts are still the same.