History NightmareFuel / Arcaea

*** Lethe, Saya and Lagrange didn't choose to let themselves frozen, but Saya and Lagrange are left wandering for an eternity without any positive outcome or purpose. It's a wonder how did those two not became insane already despite their powerful convictions.

** What killed Tairitsu was heavily implied to be a full blown ''doomsday scenario'' that wiped out every human being in her world.

** The ending proper - Hikari [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascends Into A Higher Plane Of Existence]], but leaves Tairitsu dead. Gone was the innocent and naive [[TheCutie sweetheart]] and whatever left of her is a nihilistic, empty goddess who finds no joy in her newfound state, remaining as broken as she is after the tragedy. As for the side characters? Most of them ''chose to be [[FateWorseThanDeath frozen alive in glass]] and rendering themselves [[EmptyShell empty husks of their former selves]]'' knowing that escape or liberation is impossible at this point as Hikari watches believing that she had granted them happiness, with Alice being shown as one of the victims with a massive shard going through her heart (pictured). What doesn't help is this has apparently been going on for '''1000 years''', all because a guilt-ridden Hikari can't get over becoming a murderer.

** The ending proper - Hikari [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascends Into A Higher Plane Of Existence]], but leaves Tairitsu dead and despite reaching godhood, what was formerly a stock example of TheCutie becomes completely nihilistic and empty, finding no joy in her newfound state and remains as broken as she is after the tragedy. As for the side characters? Most of them ''chose to be [[FateWorseThanDeath frozen alive in glass]] and rendering themselves [[EmptyShell empty husks of their former selves]]'' knowing that escape or liberation is impossible at this point as Hikari watches believing that she had granted them happiness, with Alice being shown as one of the victims with a massive shard going through her heart (pictured). What doesn't help is this has apparently been going on for '''1000 years''', all because a guilt-ridden Hikari can't get over becoming a murderer.

** Even the "Terminal Song" ScriptedEvent added with Black Fate is this. Hikari, having endured Tairitsu's onslaught and using the last of her strength, is fracturing the world herself. During the event, the background and even the song chart itself is glitching regularly, and at the very end, [[JumpScare the display cuts out]]. And once you trigger the event, there is no quitting out of it early: the game doesn't even provide you a pause button.

** Even the "Terminal Song" ScriptedEvent added with Black Fate is this. Hikari, having endured Tairitsu's onslaught and using the last of her strength, is fracturing the world herself. During the event, the background and even the song chart itself is glitching regularly, and at the very end, [[JumpScare the display cuts out]] and the game reboots. And once you trigger the event, there is no quitting out of it early: the game doesn't even provide you a pause button.

*** Out of the side characters who chose to be encased, you have people like ''Kou'', who never gets any sort of BreakTheCutie moments in her story and handles herself fairly well even in the insanity-inducing conditions of Arcaea. Even the idea of her breaking down and rendering herself braindead is horrifying and virtually unimaginable. In a different vein, those like Mir and Alice did break down after some breaking revelation, but at least they pull themselves together rather quickly, only to have all of their CharacterDevelopment in their side stories undone just because of that one person who just can't.

*** Out of the side characters who chose to be encased, you have people like ''Kou'' or Eto and Luna, who never get any sort of BreakTheCutie moments and handled themselves fairly well even in the insanity-inducing conditions of Arcaea. Even the idea of them breaking down and rendering themselves braindead is horrifying and virtually unimaginable. In a different vein, those like Mir and Alice did break down after some breaking revelation, but at least they pull themselves together rather quickly, only to have all of their CharacterDevelopment in their side stories undone just because of that one person who just can't.

*** Out of the side characters who chose to be encased, you have people like ''Kou'', who never get any sort of BreakTheCutie moments and handled themselves fairly well even in the insanity-inducing conditions of Arcaea. Even the idea of them breaking down and rendering themselves braindead is horrifying and virtually unimaginable. In a different vein, those like Mir and Alice did break down after some breaking revelation, but at least they pull themselves together rather quickly, only to have all of their CharacterDevelopment in their side stories undone just because of that one person who just can't.

*** Lethe, Saya and Lagrange didn't choose to let themselves frozen, but Saya and Lagrange are left wandering for an eternity without any positive outcome or purpose. How did those two not become insane already??

** The ending proper - Hikari [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascends Into A Higher Plane Of Existence]], but leaves Tairitsu dead and despite reaching godhood, what was formerly a stock example of TheCutie becomes completely nihilistic and empty, finding no joy in her newfound state and remains as broken as she is after the tragedy. As for the side characters? Most of them ''chose to be [[FateWorseThanDeath frozen alive in glass]] and rendering themselves [[EmptyShell empty husks of their former selves]]'' knowing that escape or liberation is impossible at this point, with Alice being shown as one of the victims with a massive shard going through her heart (pictured). What doesn't help is this has apparently been going on for '''1000 years''', all because a guilt-ridden Hikari can't get over becoming a murderer.

** The ending proper - Hikari [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascends Into A Higher Plane Of Existence]], but leaves Tairitsu dead and despite reaching godhood, what was formerly a stock example of TheCutie becomes completely nihilistic and empty, finding no joy in her newfound state and remains as broken as she is after the tragedy. As for the side characters? Most of them ''chose to be [[FateWorseThanDeath frozen alive in glass]] and rendering themselves [[EmptyShell empty husks of their former selves]]'', with Alice being shown as one of the victims with a massive shard going through her heart (pictured). What doesn't help is this has apparently been going on for '''1000 years''', just because a guilt-ridden Hikari can't get over becoming a murderer.

** Hikari [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascends Into A Higher Plane Of Existence]] in this ending, but leaves Tairitsu dead and Arcaea becomes a LotusEaterMachine with every soul within becoming [[EmptyShell mindless husks]] of their former selves. Despite reaching godhood, what was formerly a NiceGirl becomes completely nihilistic and empty just like the souls she trapped. The cutscene image is also Alice being slowly corroded and encased in shards of glass, with one massive shard going through her heart. It's also stated that the side characters who are frozen solid in glass chose to and the rest of these wander aimlessly with no positive outcome. And with Hikari sealing the way out, they aren't going to depart from her "paradise" anymore...

** The most shocking view in the entire game; '''Hikari impaling Tairitsu by the chest with a sword she wished upon''', the former staring at nowhere blankly and the latter just staring at it in shock. The implication is that Hikari was killing Tairitsu out of self defense and on reflexes alone. And then the game describes Tairitsu's death in detail despite the picture itself is BloodlessCarnage.

** Hikari [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascends Into A Higher Plane Of Existence]] in this ending, but leaves Tairitsu dead and Arcaea becomes a LotusEaterMachine with every soul within becoming [[EmptyShell mindless husks]] of their former selves. Despite reaching godhood, what was formerly a NiceGirl becomes completely nihilistic and empty just like the souls she trapped. The cutscene image is also Alice being slowly corroded and encased in shards of glass, with one massive shard going through her heart. The side characters who are frozen solid in glass chose to and the rest of these wander aimlessly with no positive outcome. And with Hikari sealing the way out, they aren't going to depart from her "paradise" anymore...

[[caption-width-right:350:At least [[EmptyShell Alice]] no longer needs to to worry about fruitlessly trying to make her way back to her brother, or anything for that matter...right?]]

[[caption-width-right:350:At least [[EmptyShell Alice]] isn't going to worry about fruitlessly trying to make her way back to her brother...right?]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/firefox_2020_07_22_23_36_39.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/AvengersInfinityWar Ms. Hikari? I don't feel so good...]]]]

** Hikari [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascends Into A Higher Plane Of Existence]] in this ending, but leaves Tairitsu dead and Arcaea becomes a LotusEaterMachine with every soul within becoming [[EmptyShell mindless husks]] of their former selves. Despite reaching godhood, what was formerly a NiceGirl becomes completely nihilistic and empty just like the souls she trapped. The cutscene image is also Alice being slowly corroded and encased in shards of glass, with one massive shard going through her heart. She's making all of the side characters frozen solid in glass, never to depart from her "paradise" again...

* Post-epilogue, if you lock Fatalis Hikari's skill and play "Last" without touching the screen and wait a while, you'll get an "Accept Arcaea" button that appears below the "Refuse Fate" button. If you click it, you'll receive an ''absolutely nasty'' alternate ending that looks like as if Hikari became [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Kriemhild Gretchen]] and took over Arcaea. It's just so irredeemably depressing for RhythmGame standards that it could go on par with the likes of [[VideoGame/{{Chunithm}} Sibyl Seireiki]] [[note]]An infamous scenario from ''CHUNITHM'' that stands out as ''irredeemably depressing and gory'' compared to its usual story scenarios. It's a rather standard fantasy setting with spirit-channeling witches as its protagonists and a world made by a GodOfEvil...but all of the character backstories feature gratuitous displays of BreakTheCutie, gore, torture, excessively pessimistic {{Downer Ending}}s, a climax confrontation between a main character and the GodOfEvil that ends up ''the protagonist's breakdown and defeat'' and said GodOfEvil being a rejected Demiurge with a traumatic FreudianExcuse, and her attempt to recreate the world [[InHisOwnImage In Her Own Image]] resulted in her being overwhelmed by despair and killing herself[[/note]].

* Post-epilogue, if you lock Fatalis Hikari's skill and play "Last" without touching the screen and wait a while, you'll get an "Accept Arcaea" button that appears below the "Refuse Fate" button. If you click it, you'll receive an ''absolutely nasty'' alternate ending that looks like as if Hikari became [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Kriemhild Gretchen]] and took over Arcaea. It's just so irredeemably depressing for RhythmGame standards that it could go on par with the likes of [[VideoGame/{{Chunithm}} Sibyl Seireiki]] [[note]]An infamous scenario from ''CHUNITHM'' that stands out as ''irredeemably depressing and gory'' compared to its usual story scenarios. It's a rather standard fantasy setting with spirit-channeling witches as its protagonists and a world made by a GodOfEvil...but all of the character backstories feature gratuitous displays of BreakTheCutie, gore, torture, excessively pessimistic {{Downer Ending}}s, a climax confrontation between a main character and the GodOfEvil that ends up ''the protagonist's breakdown and defeat'' and said GodOfEvil being a rejected Demiurge with a traumatic FreudianExcuse[[/note]].

** The first cutscene we see is Tairitsu and Hikari standing off, with Tairitsu being trapped in a cage of glass and Hikari staring down at her with a DeathGlare. What makes this so unsettling is Tairitsu, who has been obviously contorted into a murderous beast isn't even the worst thing around here. ''Hikari herself'' is. It's an unsettling, ice-cold death glare that explicitly states that she's NOT playing nice anymore. How she acts isn't any better -- it's appropriately described as "a frightening and deeply seated apathy". The writing is written on the wall that "I don't care, and I will kill you if I need to". And this is just ''the beginning''...

** TheReveal that Arcaea is actually a place created by the real Hikari for her to refuge into and a [[SpiritWorld place for solace for the dead]] -- every other character in this world is DeadAllAlong. [[NothingIsScarier And save for Tairitsu and Vita, we don't even know how the rest died...]]

* There's something very unsettling about Tempest Tairitsu. On top of her soul-piercing DeathGlare and CreepyBlueEyes, there's also her sadistic streak against Hikari; she isn't even simply trying to take the girl's life. She's trying to inflict as much pain, physically and mentally on her, as much as possible. As Hikari described it, she looks way worse than a devil and a "veritable dark queen".

** Even the "Terminal Song" ScriptedEvent added with Black Fate is this. Hikari, having endured Tairitsu's onslaught and using the last of her strength, is either bearing witness to the world breaking down from instability right in front of her or is fracturing it herself. During the event, the background and even the song chart itself is glitching regularly, and at the very end, [[JumpScare the display cuts out]] and the game reboots. And once you trigger the event, there is no quitting out of it early: the game doesn't even provide you a pause button.

** The first cutscene we see is Tairitsu and Hikari standing off, with Tairitsu being trapped in a cage of glass and Hikari staring down at her with a DeathGlare. What makes this so unsettling is Tairitsu, who has been obviously contorted into a murderous beast isn't even the worst thing around here. ''Hikari herself'' is. It's an unsettling, ice-cold death glare that explicitly states that she's NOT playing nice anymore. How she acts isn't any better -- it's appropriately described as "a frightening and deeply seated apathy". And this is just ''the beginning''...

* Chapter 6 (Final Verdict) continuing off from Hikari and Tairitsu's DuelToTheDeath and cements itself as exceptional in a genre that doesn't accustom itself to incredibly dark and depressing stories like this.

** TheReveal that Arcaea is actually a place created by the real Hikari for her to refuge into and a [[SpiritWorld place for solace for the dead]] -- every other character in this world is DeadAllAlong. [[NothingIsScarier And save for Tairitsu, we don't even know how the rest died...]]