"Even if you are forgotten to this world... I'll get you back."
Given Project Moon's previous games in the same bleak setting, it's no surprise that Limbus Company has its fair share of sad moments.
Canto I
- Poor, poor Yuri. Her death is brutal even if you saw it coming from a mile away. After growing close to the Sinners and having Rodion muse about her joining them as a mascot, she ends up devoured by the False Apple by the end of the dungeon which uses her head as a puppet that the Sinners have to fight against. Gregor especially seems torn up by her fate, with how he compared her to being like a younger sister.
- Worse, you can't do anything to save her in the gameplay. It doesn't matter if you got lucky and you have someone with the highest correspondent sin, there is NOTHING you can do to prevent Yuri's death.
- Of special note, False Apple waves Yuri's head. This is an animated cutscene.
Canto II
- As the Sinners approach the Golden Bough, they find that it has turned the area into a frozen wasteland based on how Rodion feels about herself. Sonya points out that the people in the ice were those who were killed by the Middle due to Rodion killing a Backstreets tax collector who had connections with them. She is forced to confess that nothing felt like it belonged to her from that day on, and that she'd rather stay in the cold a little longer than accept his offer to come back to the Yurodivy. Even after the Sinners manage to get the Bough (and a good amount of money from the casino), Dante could tell that she was still hurting behind her smile.
Canto III
- One can't help but feel pity for Sinclair as the chapter progresses. Having to relive his trauma as he visits his ruined hometown, finding all of his friends and neighbors dead, and going toe-to-toe with his worst enemy would make any normal person snap, to which Sinclair nearly did. Worst yet is the Survivor Guilt he feels over the notion that he could have prevented this all had he not let his father's secret slip, it's no surprise he feels at fault for the destruction that Calw saw, even if Kromer was wholly to blame for it all.
Canto IV
- Yi Sang was spared no breaks. Meeting back up with an old friend from the League of Nine, finding out another group member was opposing K Corp. which led to her nearly killing Yi Sang, having to relive how his friend group fell in the first place... To say he suffered would be a major understatement.
- While what Dongrang did was rather scummy, some players can't help but feel bad for what he had become. It's pointed out that he started out as someone who just wanted to help animals get better, but now he could only care about the merits that come with technological advancements. He initially distorts when he realizes the calf he cared about might no longer recognize him, but eventually decides that he was fine with not caring about others and destroying the past. It's pitiful knowing he was just one decision away from an Ignored Epiphany.
Canto V
- We finally learn just what led Ishmael to hate her captain so much and... it's not good at all. It turned out that Ahab was a Bad Boss who practically brainwashed her crew into embracing a Suicide Mission against the Pallid Whale, and Ishmael was the only one who survived getting swallowed by it. So it would be very painful when she has to go back to where it all started.
- The Sinners get inside the Pallid Whale since it was discovered that the Golden Bough inside Dante's clock can help them resist the effects of being palladified and turned into mermaids. There it's revealed that no, the Pequod crew did survive, but doing so required them to cling onto Ahab's sheer will to continue hunting the whale from inside. When she inevitably sacrifices the whole lot for the final push towards the whale's heart, nobody takes it well. Ishmael practically has to watch as her best friend Queequeg die in front of her not long after they reunited, since Ahab's E.G.O. seemed to be sucking away Queequeg's will. Ishmael herself nearly succumbs to the same fate due to hunting down Ahab for so long that she's become no different from her.
Intervallo IV
- While we learn from Intervallo II that the guests of the Library were released, the Blade Lineage did not have it as lucky as the Molar Office fixers. While the latter were able to recover from their experience, Bamboo-hatted Kim and his associates were dropped right in front of the Kurokumo Clan, the same syndicate that Kim had initially used the Library's invitation to escape from. In the end, most of the Salsus were killed, and Kim ends up Distorting from the Monolith's influence as he realizes his efforts to migrate from S Corp had ended in complete disaster.Bamboo-hatted Kim: Yet that "invitation" I received... only led them to their demise. In the end... I failed my mission. I failed my honor. I failed my dear fellows. Again, I am returned to the land of my failure...
Canto VI
- Heathcliff learns that the event Cathy called him back to Wuthering Heights for is her own funeral. After spending so much time trying desperately to look proper for her, he pretty much breaks when he's told Cathy is dead. Even before Cathy's final riddle begins, he's in complete denial, almost starting a fight with the Oufi Fixers purely because he refuses to do anything until he sees her body with his own eyes.
- From that point onwards, he gains a unique debuff in battle called Bereaved that reduces his Sanity every turn. He may return to his usual gruff behavior afterwards, but it's clear he's absolutely devastated.
- It gets much worse in part 2. It wasn't a lie when this chapter was called "The Heartbreaking"
- The Sinner's descent into the basement. There, they find the ring performing experiments on the subject of "humanity", as well as a coffin-like machine with Cathy in it. Heathcliff completely ignores whatever else is going on and solely focuses on getting her out of that machine. He doesn't even speak in any of the unlreated conversations unless he's threatening somebody.
- Hindley is fought in the basement, and the depths of his addictions are revealed, as well as the fact that he blames Heathcliff for everything, starting with the fact that Heathcliff was brought home instead of a violin, and was the reason why their father distanced himself from Hindley, because "Heathcliff was more of a son to him then Hindley". Hindley ends up distorting because of this, and as Heathcliff said in the obvious logs: It's pitifully sad how far gone Hindley is.
- Matthew is revealed to be an Identity of Heathcliff, heavily believed to be one who experienced the events of the novel, and blames him and every other Heathcliff for Cathy’s death, believing himself to be Cathy's murderers. Heathcliff hates himself so much that one pushed over the edge decided the only way to atone is by killing every Heathcliff. Sinner!Heathcliff is extremely distressed by all of this and even starts to believe it's true.
- Even in the fight, your Heathcliff will only grunt. His E.G.O.'s don't have lines, even when corroded. Heathcliff?'s passive that makes him only target Heathcliff is called Self-loathing. Heathcliff also still has the status from the earlier nodes, so he's losing sanity.
- When you win the fight, Heathcliff then charges forward and uses Bodysack. But it keeps going and going and is heavily implied to have corroded. Heathcliff?, before dying, states that every Cathy is doomed to be miserable because of Heathcliff.
- The dialogue Heathcliff has as he's thrashing Heathcliff? is quite sad when taken into consideration. All Heathcliff ever wanted was to be with the one person he truly loved, nothing more. Being told you caused your beloved to suffer would make anyone hurt, but being told that by yourself, and that in every single world that YOU'RE always the cause of your lover's suffering? It's no wonder Heathcliff was so distraught.
- Heathcliff does not take this well. At all. Not only do we see Heathcliff? break down in front of Cathy's grave, with the text from the original book, Heathcliff repeatedly says he is less than human. He hates himself so much he doesn't even think he deserves to speak as a person, likely caused by all the abuse he's received in the past.
- Depending on whether or not you played the other games, seeing red text pop up on the screen like that may have counted for this as you realize who that is. It's Carmen. Heathcliff is talking to Carmen. Maybe you didn't know that, but the sound of stretching skin and breaking bones confirms: Heathcliff just Distorted. Heathcliff is so emotionally devastated and broken that he DISTORTED.
- For comparison, Sinclair had to see how Kromer murdered his parents in cold blood, then had to return to his wretched hometown to see how she pillaged and burned the rest of the people, Yi Sang had to watch two of his old friends fight each other and perish in front of his eyes, and Ishmael had to watch her old crew being brainwashed by Ahab and die because Ahab's EGO absorbed them, but their breakdowns never reached this level. Especially given Ishmael's behavior, people thought she was going to distort, but she didn't. That's how emotionally devasting this is to Heathcliff.
- When Meursault was asked to stop Hindley from distorting by Dante earlier, he couldn't because of a force holding him back. Faust said that distortions "ordained by fate" can't be stopped by outside forces. This means the sinners can only watch as Heathcliff completely breaks down. There is nothing they can do to stop what is happening to one of their co-workers and for some, a friend. This must be especially awful for Yi Sang, as this is not the first time he's seen it happen to someone he is close with.
- Leviathan confirms that Carmen can mimic any voice. That means that Heathcliff, throughout the whole chapter, may have not been hearing Cathy, but instead Carmen pretending to be Cathy.
- Heathcliff at the start of the chapter permitted everyone to beat him up if he "goes to no return and loses the plot" to bring him back to his senses. Heathcliff may have even suspected he was going to break down like this, which implies Heathcliff knows what's going on and doesn't want to distort but just doesn't know what else to do.
- The absolutely amazing voice acting work from Hong Seung-hyo as both Heathcliffs as well as Hyomin Ahn as Hindley lets you hear all the desperation and emotions in it, and it's heartbreaking.
- To those who have experienced abuse, this chapter will especially hit hard since it shows in detail what happens if one is abused from childhood - it gets internalized and turns into such a huge amount of self-hatred that it will literally transform oneself in a mere shell of what they once were. Even Heathcliff's Holiday Corrosion line hits harder when you put it in context - he's trying his hardest to remain human and convince himself that he should be treated as anyone would be. The fact that Heathcliff himself has canine motifs and also turns into a wolf-like creature hits harder when you realize that, like his book counterpart, he was constantly derided to be a dog out of purely racist and classicist motifs. His Distorted form is a representation of the internalisation of all the abuse.
- During the credit roll of Canto VI, the mood on Mephistopheles is somber and grim. Even though the majority of the Sinners can't recall that Cathy ever existed due to her being Ret-Gone, they can all sense that this experience was far from a victory. But worst of all is Heathcliff, who is staring solemnly at the object he holds in his hand: A ring.
- And it doesn't end there. Just like with Ishmael's Snagharpoon, Heathcliff's Bodysack gains a new line after completion of this Canto. However, contrary to Ishmael beginning to speak with determination, Heathcliff is now only solemnly reminiscing on his promise to bring Catherine back no matter what, showing how much her departure impacted him in the end:"Even if you are forgotten to the world... I'll get you back."
- It hits worse after you realize that almost any mention of Catherine has been removed. Where some of Heathcliff's I Ds mentioned her name, it's now replaced by blanks and static, effectively showing that Dante and our Heathcliff are the only ones across all the Mirror Worlds who still remember her.
