I notice that games made in North American cultures usually have nemesis are purely evil for the sake of being evil. Like you have this evil dark lord that is out to kill everyone. There is absolutely no reasoning with him, so heros need to stop him.
When you look at games from Japanese cultures on the other hand, the nemesis are not purely evil for the sake of being evil. They actually have a philosophy. They will have a different way of seeing the world, very different from the main character. The nemesis would usually have a long conversation with the main character to express their view on things. But it is still up to the hero to stop them from their twisted ways and logics.
e.g. Nightmare Court
NA version: They abandoned Ventari teaching for no reason. Now they are just purely evil and wants to kill everyone.Japanese version: They abandoned Ventari’s teachings for very valid reasons. And they explained it very clearly: They want to protect and preserve nature from the other 4 races.
The words of the centaur sage Ventari are carved into this stone. More than a relic, the tablet is the moral foundation of sylvari society.
Read the tablet.
I. Live life well and fully, and waste nothing. Yet all 4 other races couldn’t care less about the well being of the life around them, and waste and destroys everything.
II. Do not fear difficulty. Hard ground makes strong roots. Exactly, because we Sylvari are born the guardians of nature. Nature wants us to fight back against the races that are slowly bringing total doom to the world, which we all saw clearly in the nightmare.
III. The only lasting peace is the peace within your own soul. Peace will only come if the other 4 races agree to abandon their wasteful and destructive ways to nature. Else, there is no peace until all enemies of nature are eliminated.
Continue reading.
IV. All things have a right to grow. The blossom is brother to the weed.In their greed for growth, the other 4 races consumes everything in their path. They are denying the growth of all other life in nature.
V. Never leave a wrong to ripen into evil or sorrow. The greatest evil the Sylvari can do is to let the other 4 races continue to destroy life in the world.
VI. Act with wisdom, but act. Our wisdom is correct, and we are acting on it
Continue reading.
VII. From the smallest blade of grass to the largest mountain, where life goes—so, too, should you. The nightmare court will bring back the balance of nature to the whole world, as it was meant to be.
One thing i want to point out is is the Nightmare Court had these noble ambitions they wouldn’t be back-stabing and kill each other in Explore.