It's been nearly a month since The Lost Light 2 was released, and most players are nearing the end of their game. Compared with Ravan, who is out of the circle because of his "outstanding appearance", the good brother Haken who runs through the plot is not very hot in the discussion among players.
Ravan's popularity is even higher than the game itself
But as long as it is a player who has played Extinction 2, it is difficult to easily forget the character of Hacken. Some people think: "In the game, you can always treat him as a brother", but some people feel that he is just but lacks courage, and all he does is to find a way out for himself. It can be said that Haken's character image has obvious two-sidedness and controversy, but it is precisely because of this two-sidedness and controversy that it gives this character fresh vitality and unique charm, and also causes everyone to think about human nature in the end of the world. (Article with spoilers)
Welcome to "Paradise"
background
Thinking about human nature in life often comes from the performance of "people" in extreme conditions and harsh environments. The reflection and discussion of the good and evil of human nature has not stopped for thousands of years. Like in war, some people are determined to defend their families and defend the country, while others take advantage of loopholes to make war money. Extreme, restricted circumstances are more likely to provoke deep thinking about the good and evil of human nature.
The good and evil of human nature
As an apocalyptic game, the background of the game of Extinction 2 is very depressing:
A world that is out of control in the last days
After many years of humanity's defeat to the virus, modern civilization has regressed in many ways. The collapse of the human social order breeds violence and darkness, while also splitting into many factions. The free men, the vigilantes, and the rebels represent freedom, order, and evil, respectively. The oppressive atmosphere of the zombie siege highlights the characteristics of the three in particular.
As the protagonist, when he first played the game, he wandered around the rally, and at first glance it was not a good person inside. But in light of the context of the time, the city was out of control, the people who had lost order released their nature, and the cold-blooded measures of the people in the last days may also be a helpless compromise for such difficult living conditions.
In such a sinister humanistic context, the first sight of Haken really gave us a very positive impression.
Meet
When I first met Haken, many people would feel that this role was very familiar. Someone can't help but exclaim: "Isn't this the male protagonist of "Violent Neighborhood"? ”
Leto is played by David Bell in Violent Neighborhood
Putting aside excessive "political correctness", the characters that exist in reality are often more tense than the characters made purely by computer, and this intersection of virtual and real is also illusory, which can undoubtedly bring players a more three-dimensional experience. Like the Polish donkey "Keanu Johnny Reeves Silver Hand", Techland hired David Bell to play the role of Haken. Not only is he a well-known actor, he is also one of the founders of the sport of parkour, and has been involved in parkour coaching in the game as early as Extinction 1. The extinction series of parkour and fight systems are so mature that his personal experience is indispensable. This time, the second generation moved the big guy from behind the scenes to the front of the stage, directly "crossed" into the game to become "Hacken", which undoubtedly made all the players who are familiar with him feel very kind and have a strong sense of substitution.
In the interview, David Bell is very passionate about the extinction series
The protagonist's first visit to Villedor as a wanderer is about to mutate and is about to be hanged by the assemblers. In the face of various negative emotions such as disgust, fear, anger and other negative emotions of the bazaars, Haken's kind actions are like a life-saving straw that pulls the protagonist out of the bottomless abyss. No stranger who lends a helping hand in such a crisis situation should not refuse.
Desperate to survive - touched by the first sight of Haken
acquaintance
But in the last days, who has true good intentions? As the game's plot progresses, Hacken's characters are further refined, and the original "Savior" glow has faded. When Haken is shot, the protagonist learns that he is the ultimate murderer of Lucas and is also working for Waltz. In the face of such an impactful fact, I believe that everyone's feelings at that time were very shocked and angry: the surprise was that the murderer who had been looking for many days was actually a brother around him, and the anger was betrayed by someone he trusted. But for most people, the choice at this time will still be to help him, after all, "the grace of dripping water, when the spring repays". It's just that since then, Haken has lost the trust of the protagonist.
Most people's choice
It can be said that of all that Haken has done, the most disappointing thing is the betrayal of his friends. After the protagonist arrives at the Fisheye Restaurant, he learns through frank and Ravan's conversation that Frank is now drunk and decadent, largely because of Hacken's temporary withdrawal from Frank's radio plan, which led to the failure of the plan. And his rebellion also indirectly aroused Ravan's hatred, causing her to make a list of deaths, kill people everywhere, and put herself in danger. By this point, Haken seems to have become more of a "stranger" than he had been when he first met.
The complete failure of the mission left Frank extremely depressed
But the subsequent twists of the plot reveal that Haken actually has a bitter heart - he played for the waltz, in fact, because waltz threatened Haken with Ravan's safety, he had to compromise; he flinched in the face of action, and as he advanced the plot, climbed to the top of the VNC Building, we can also understand Haken's retreat in the face of an insurmountable task. And Haken's deliberate exit now seems to have become an excuse for Frank to escape defeat.
At this point, I have to say that there is indeed some sense of separation in the plot. Personal feelings are still a bit far-fetched about Haken's explanation of his behavior. Regarding the radio plan, it was learned from many sources that the VNC building was filled with the desperate screams of nightcrawlers because of the renunciation of Haken and others. Even if Frank's plan was what Haken called a "suicide plan," if he had come forward to persuade him, rather than fleeing, perhaps the Nightcrawlers would not have been wiped out.
Then there is the plot that finally captures the GRE key for the plot. I can't help but recall the beginning, when I entered the central area and got stranded in the subway, when the key was always in Hacken's hand. At that time, Haken did not take it for himself, but took the initiative to return it to the protagonist. From this, it can be seen that Haken does not actually want to plot the key of the protagonist. So, later in the plot, why do you have to fight for the protagonist for the key? This part is really not very logical, and it also makes me have some misunderstandings when playing.
But come to think of it, for Haakon, all he wants is to make up for past mistakes and get everything back on track. And this chaotic world, sometimes doing things is also involuntary.
bosom friend
In short, in Haken's case, good and evil do not exist separately. He has a good side, cherishes friendship, and attaches importance to love are the embodiment of his kindness and justice; he also has an evil side, helpless compromise in the face of threats and escape from the battlefield at the time of important actions, all of which come from the fear and cowardice in his heart. It can be said that the character of Haken, precisely because it is full of contradictions, is more three-dimensional, more like a "real person".
Under the afterglow, run to freedom
Human nature is multi-faceted, there is no real difference between right and wrong, and there is no absolute sense of good and bad. It is precisely because of this complexity and change that human nature is different from animal nature, and human beings are different from zombies. Hacken's character may not be heroic, but he may be the best illustration of the humanity techland wants to express and the subtitle "stay human."
Stay human is the main theme of Extinction 2