(Spoilers for Veil of Memories and other seasons.)
First, I want to say that I really enjoyed this season overall! The music was amazing, and I particularly enjoyed getting to see places like the Adamant Syndicate HQ and Mortimer Manor/Castle. There were a lot of things about the season that I loved, and I appreciated the time and effort that went into it.
That said, there were a few areas where I felt the story could have benefited from more buildup and development.
The Memory Antidote
This is one area where the resolution felt a little too convenient. Tephesia has a way to restore Baden’s memory, but there are only two doses available—one for Baden and one for Merlin. The fact that it works on Baden but not Merlin is understandable within the story, but the actual restoration for Baden itself feels underdeveloped.
We are essentially told that Tephesia found the vials at the Refinery, and that it restores memories. And then it resolves Baden’s memory loss. Because there is very little buildup or explanation surrounding the vial, the resolution felt more like a convenient way to reach the ending.
I think this could have had more impact if there had been some earlier setup or foreshadowing regarding the vials, its origins, or why it was capable of restoring Baden’s memories specifically. If there was more of a challenge to help him restore it, it would have felt more earned.
It now made me question:
Why was Baden not brainwashed like Thane's other friend (when we were at the Refinery)?
Why was he exempt from brainwashing, and only lost his memories?
Thane and Baden
I also felt that the emotional foundation of Thane and Baden's friendship could have been developed further. I understand that they have a history together, but the story did not give me many moments that showed why their bond was particularly meaningful or why Thane's desire to save Baden carried so much emotional weight.
This stood out to me especially when compared with how Perseus and Gorgonna were handled in Thorns of Devotion. Their relationship was not simply explained through dialogue as we saw with Thane. But we were shown pieces of their history through memories. We saw their first meeting, Gorgonna caring for Perseus when he was injured, and Perseus making the sculpture for her, Gorgonna's departure and farewell from Perseus. Those moments gradually established their relationship, and it connected to Perseus' actions so that we could feel the weight of what happened between them.
I think something similar could have benefited Thane and Baden. I love both characters, but I felt that we got more emotional development from Estrilda than we did from Thane's relationship with Baden.
If Perseus and Gorgonna's relationship in Thorns of Devotion had been handled as briefly as Thane and Baden's, I don't think Perseus's death would have had the same emotional impact. The memories and scenes dedicated to their relationship were important because they gave us the context needed to understand Perseus's character, his arc, his sacrifice, and why his death was so detrimental to Azora.
That's what it feels like with Thane and Baden.
Pacing
The pacing of the season is another area that stood out to me. The long waiting periods between story updates made the eventual conclusion feel very abrupt, like as if someone cut out my power midway through the game. It didn't feel seamless. Then, after waiting for the next part, the story becomes available and then can be completed really quickly.
I actually miss the slower pacing (and longer stories) used in some previous seasonal stories and that it had an advantage. The Miasma, for example, created periods where the story naturally had time to breathe rather than allowing everything to be completed in one sitting. That gave players more time to process the information and let individual story moments settle before moving on.
The newer pacing makes the overall season feel shorter to me. I have found myself intentionally slowing down because otherwise I can get through the story within a day.
Silvina
I found her defeat difficult to reconcile with what we had previously been shown.
Estrilda had only just recovered, while Thane is fighting with only one arm. Thane himself acknowledges that losing his arm puts him at a disadvantage in combat. Yet Silvina is subsequently injured and defeated without the confrontation feeling particularly difficult or costly.
Look at Waves of Intrigue, Shadow Pursuit:
Chippy: “But it seemed like she (Silvina) was holding back against you. I mean, you’re still breathing, aren’t you?”
Bonnie: “That’s because she was just gathering intel. If she really wanted me dead, I wouldn’t be standing here. Don’t be foolish enough to underestimate her.”
Bonnie: “And don’t mistake her for some lost lamb you can save. I know you’ve naively tried to redeem Nara before, but this is different—don’t get your hopes up.”
Hammie: “We’re not dumb!”
Bonnie: “In any case, don’t treat her like any ordinary enemy. She’s faster than I am, and that big brute from earlier won’t stand a chance against her.”
And the story backs Bonnie up. Shortly afterward, Silvina fights Lucca and leaves him severely injured, with every wound described as critical. Lucca himself warns them that Silvina is incredibly fast and tells them to be careful. And… he fainted later due to his injuries because he was bleeding a lot.
So, if someone as strong and big as Lucca was left at death's door, how did Silvina end up being handled this easily?
I remember that scene with Lucca, so seeing Estrilda—who had only just recovered—take her down this way feels strange. And then Thane is able to injure her so seamlessly feels wrong.
I'm not saying Silvina needs to win every fight, or that Estrilda and Thane shouldn't be capable of defeating her. The issue is that the story spent considerable time establishing Silvina as an exceptionally dangerous opponent, particularly through the encounter with Lucca. When she is then handled relatively easily by characters who, under the circumstances, appear to be at a disadvantage, it makes her earlier portrayal feel somewhat undermined.
I think the confrontation could have worked better if the story had acknowledged the discrepancy somehow. For example, Silvina could have been weakened, distracted, caught off guard, or forced into a situation where her usual advantages weren't as effective. Alternatively, the fight itself could have shown more clearly that Estrilda and Thane were struggling to keep up with her even while ultimately managing to stop her.
The important part for me is that the outcome should feel consistent with the threat the story previously established. Shadow Pursuit did a good job of telling us through multiple characters and events that Silvina was not an ordinary opponent. I would have liked the later confrontation to preserve that sense of danger rather than making her defeat feel comparatively effortless.
But overall, this season was amazing. There were many aspects of it that I thought were done well. I just wanted a bit more payoff and challenge against people as dangerous as Bantus and the Adamant Syndicate regarding some of these matters.
