Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon is a game where relationships matter a great deal. We have been over this already. The Lily system gives people a chance to have Aluche bond with the other heroines she’s working with. There are romantic overtones littered throughout the adventure, indicating the affection that grows between people. But there’s another important point that comes from this game. While there are two endings that can be earned, depending on your performance, the epilogues do a fantastic job of showing the sort of influence people can have on each others’ lives.
Editor’s note: there will be spoilers for Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon ahead.
There are two possible endings in Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon, so let’s start there. Because even here, we get examples of the impact one person can have on another. The Moon Queen Malvasia is the game’s villain, attempting to bring the endless night. But her tale is quite tragic, as her human lover Alstromeria and her were persecuted for their interracial relationship. In a murder-suicide gone wrong, Alstromeria attempted to kill her, was mistakenly hailed as a hero by the humans for killing the demon, and killed herself. Malvasia came back and became what everyone thought she was. Aluche is a dead ringer for her and Malvasia absorbs her before being defeated in the bad ending. In the good ending, we find out the Liliana with Aluche was a dream of the real one. The two combine their powers, remaining in limbo to roll back the Endless Night and save the world.
It is the second, good ending that allows the epilogues to shine through. While these two heroines sacrifice themselves, the others go on to live their lives and show how Aluche convinced them to live their lives after the events of the game. Everyone one of these other heroines does something to spread the good that they’ve seen. It is the concept of paying it forward in motion. Some of these actions are huge. Ruenheid is the clearest example. She had the most to lose, after all. She grew up with both Aluche and Liliana. She founds a Lourdes Order, a new line of knights, to protect the two women she loves and take back the world. Camilla stays with the Curia, even through their corruption, because she knows the end justifies the means. She knows she can change them, and use their power to change the world. She maintains Hotel Eterna so the Aluche and Liliana will have someplace to come home to.
Of course, some are fluffier too. Eleanor is just trying to make some chocolates that Aluche would enjoy. She wants to bring joy to the world and her lost friend. And it certainly seems like she is coming close to that goal. Christophorus and Arnice just miss the two of them and are waiting for her chance to see them again. Which they know they will, due to their extended lifespans. This offers a nice sense of levity. Because while there are definitely characters in Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon who still have big and important work to do, some of them have already had their moment or have different destinies ahead of them. This too is more realistic, because not everyone can immediately go on after such an adventure to perform even more world-altering actions.
I felt like the fact that you couldn’t make out everyone and were forced to pick and choose in each playthrough of Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon made the epilogue you received even more meaningful. It rings true. Yes, we all touch so many people every day in our lives. But there will always be one or two people who are most impacted by our actions. By structuring the game and its epilogues the way Gust did, it is acknowledging how important the influence can be on a single person. Lives can change because you knew one person and had them in your life, and we see that here. It makes the endings more believable.
It is a touch that rings true. After all, it isn’t like Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon has dating sim elements. There is absolutely romance here. But there is an established couple. So any kind of flirting could never really go anywhere. Aluche is with Liliana. But, that doesn’t make the feelings the other heroines have for her any less valid. By giving them epilogues showing how they move on with their lives after her influence, we get a realistic look at how relationships impact one another. It is quite a pleasant thing.
Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon is available for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
