The House In Fata Morgana and its prequel are massive tearjerkers. Michel, the protagonist of the series, is basically the personification of one.
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- Michel's whole existence. Born Intersex during a time when people neither understood or accepted the condition, he was castigated as a "demon child" and "impure", abandoned by everyone he cared about, and kept in what was essentially solitary confinement for over ten years, culminating in his death and crucifixion by his brother and his corpse being burned by his own mother. His soul, unable to leave Earth after his death, is forced to watch the desecration and burning of his corpse.
- Just look at some of the lyrics for the music for Michel's death scene, "Fábula Escrita":
"Death to the impure!""Crucify the demon child!"Neither God nor His angels, the Devil or the witch, and certainly not man,Will ever bring me salvation in this world devoid of light. - Just look at some of the lyrics for the music for Michel's death scene, "Fábula Escrita":
- Morgana's past. Truly believing herself to be capable of miraculous healing powers, she aspired to do nothing but help people. Sold into slavery by her charlatan mother, she suffered terrible abuse by an Evil Overlord, permanently disfiguring her. After experiencing a few happy years, she is re-captured by the local lord (who turns out to be the young man who rescued her from the Evil Overlord), gets her arm severed by a mercenary, is regularly drained of her blood (again), and imprisoned until she dies shortly after - at the ripe old age of sixteen.
- On that note, Jacopo and Morgana's story, particularly if you've played A Requiem For Innocence. Going from rescuing her, to getting her to open up to others, and then to inflicting the same kind of pain on her the previous lord did is rather depressing to watch.
- Near the end of the game, Michel travels back to Morgana's time to try and rescue the souls of both Morgana and the three men trapped in the mansion. It's revealed that while he can interact with them and change their actions and behaviors, he ultimately cannot avert their fates - Morgana dies in his arms in a heartbreaking scene, and Mell, Nellie, Yukimasa, Pauline and Jacopo still all die.
- Giselle's story. Repeatedly raped by the family patriarch, she was banished from the estate and threatened again by the patriarch's son. Her attempt at living peacefully in a neighboring village only lasted a short while before she was again persecuted by the head of the village, simply because she wouldn't marry him. After Michel is killed, she is forced to wait hundreds of years for his return and eventually loses her memories of him (and her mind) through Morgana's constant gaslighting.
- Yukimasa. Despite being a sadist and a killer, it's easier to feel sympathy for him once you realize what he's gone through, particularly if you have ever been the victim of racial discrimination.The Maid: What was it that afflicted you with such madness? Losing your memory in the shipwreck? The abuse and insult you suffered at the villagers' hands? Or was it your grief at not being able to return to your homeland?
- Mell of Rose Manor's story. A kind young man who wanted nothing but to live a peaceful life with his sister and love interest, selfish acts by both of his parents lead to the extinction of the family line and his suicide a few years later.
- Jacopo and Maria's story. Despite being an overall unlikeable Jerkass and a domestic abuser, it's hard to not feel sorry for the guy once his past is revealed and the one he thought closest to him - and a friend he went out of his way to look out for - is revealed to have been double crossing him the entire time.
- Jacopo and the White Haired Girl's story - while his abuse of her is still inexcusable, he truly believed what he was doing was to protect her from coming into his world and tainting her. Maria's cruel machinations destroy their marriage and leave him to die old and alone.
- Didier's ghost even shedding tears at the ending; despite having killed Michel with seemingly no remorse, it's obvious he never got over it.
- Though the backstage is a welcome respite from the game's overall tone, it's still discouraging to see that Aimee shows no remorse for how she treated Michel, and even taunts him about "living a life of luxury" while he was burned at the stake.
- The theme that plays during the game's saddest moments, appropriately titled "Everybody's Crying." It's even worse when you realize that an alternate title for the track is called "The Wrongful Life of Michel Bollinger."
A Requiem For Innocence
- Jacopo's hard and fast fall from an All-Loving Hero to a tyrant. The stresses of ruling and betrayals by former friends cause him to snap and become not much better than the original Barnier, becoming the Jacopo we see in the main game.
- Jacopo finally gets around to making his Love Confession to Morgana shortly before she dies, but she is too far gone to acknowledge it. To make it worse, he delivers it in the middle of her telling him how much she hates him.
- Maria's fate in both timelines. It's no wonder Morgana feels guilty upon meeting her in the backstage of the first game.
- Imeon/Noemi's story. Her life was very similar to Michel's, both being former nobles driven from their homes due to circumstances outside of their control. Just as she begins to crack the barrier Michel has built up around himself, she dies from her illness and leaves him alone once again.
Reincarnation
- Morgana's complete breakdown as her full past life memories return while sheltering from her abusive stepfather at Jacopo's place. When she confronts him about his, his memories also return and they have no choice but to confront their actions and feelings from before, including the re-discovered hatred Morgana has for him. And, unlike the previous stories, the exchange is fully voiced as both Ami Koshimizu and Jun'ichi Suwabe perfectly deliver the full impact of the thoughts and words of Morgana and Jacopo, respectively.
