What Happens in Fear & Hunger 2: Termina - Full Story Analysis

By popular demand, I am pleased to present a full analysis of the story of Termina. This sprawling game has (currently) eight playable characters and no shortage of routes, so I've done my best to weave them into a coherent narrative. We'll also be looking at the story's themes and trying to puzzle out a few of its more cryptic elements.

F&H 2: Termina is oppressive, relentless and hopeless. A mix of jRPG and Survival Horror. Turn-based combat meets resource management. 3 days to explore the wicked town of Prehevil and find out about its dark secrets. 3 days until the pale and sickly green moon rises at its apex. Termina is upon us!

0:00 Timeline and Setting
15:00 The Game Begins
19:55 Marina, The Occultist
22:38 Henryk, The Cook
23:58 Abella, The Mechanic
25:38 Tanaka, The Salaryman
26:24 Karin, The Journalist
29:21 The Woodsman
31:15 Caligura, The Mobster
33:19 Olivia, The Botanist
36:53 Old Town
41:10 Route A - Save Henryk, Face Chaugnar
50:54 Pav, The Bremen Liutenant
51:30 Route B - Save Abella, Face The Gentleman
58:58 O'saa, The Yellow Mage
1:03:49 Face Dysmorphia
1:06:14 Route C - Save Henryk and Abella
1:07:02 Levi, The Ex-Soldier
1:09:30 Father Domek
1:12:04 Samarie, The Sacrifice
1:14:54 Daan, The Doctor
1:22:39 The (Mostly) New New Gods
1:28:05 St. Domek's Orphanage
1:31:59 Interview With A Lunatic
1:33:36 Tunnel 1, Facing Stitches
1:36:28 The Sleeping House
1:40:42 Facing Needles
1:42:40 Behind The Church
1:44:58 Pav vs Kaiser
1:51:02 Facing Moonless
1:54:40 August, The Monster Hunter
1:56:30 Night At The Museum
1:59:17 The White Bunker
2:01:41 Facing Platoon
2:03:29 Facing Kaiser
2:05:45 Le'garde Unmasked
2:10:49 Logic, The Machine God
2:13:04 Punching the Moon in its Face
2:15:30 Ending C, The Sulfur God
2:16:36 Postgame Analysis

All music is from the games, except a couple tracks from Cry of Fear and Yume Nikki.

[mutantwormgirl]

I had a chance to chat with the developer about Abella and Chaugnar, as the two never really seemed to have a strong connection in the way that the other moonscorched forms do. While he doesn't really come out and explain lore, he suggested that at least partially it's a reflection of how Abella sees herself as sort of an oaf, an "elephant in a porcelain shop" as the saying apparently goes in Finnish. He also said there's more to it than that, and that he may expand Abella's dialog in future updates to help flesh her inner conflicts out.

[Asteros]

>The continent was overrun by darkness and monsters until recently
Ragnvaldr really did pull up.

[Infovorousness]

I find the fact that LeGarde waited centuries to try to ascend to godhood only for someone to get to it first AGAIN absolutely hilarious

[xaiverbres]

I think it’s interesting that despite seeming like LeGardes prophecy failed, it simply came true in a more roundabout way; rather than him being the figurehead of change, he was the catalyst. The events of the first game would not have occurred without him, thus the God of Fear and Hunger wouldn’t have driven humanity forward, for better or worse. Enki and ragn would never have gone to the Dungeon, and the world would be less enlightened and more monstrous without their experiences in the dungeon. In Termina, the machine god wouldn’t have been built without him, which would serve to push humanity forward again, but once again, without him. He is as a match is to a bonfire; while the bonfire needed the match flame to ignite, the burning blaze is not the same fire, and now the match is irrelevant.

[ouch]

I like to think that L’garde was canonically beaten to death by Ragnavaldr

[pastapeachi]

very nice to know the god of fear and hunger is still one of the nicest gods out there by the time its 1942 all things considered; especially since in the first game if your affection is high enough with her, she doesnt actually attack you throughout the final fight and skips the entirety of the first phrase (possibly because she knows you and the kindness you gave to her)

[SmugKitsune]

Really want a "power of friendship" ending where if you manage to keep all fourteen alive you can confront Perkele ‘14 as 1’

[dexterity]

Creating a character that deals poison damage and can easily topple enemies, but is balanced by having low mobility and potentially dying from lost limbs because they rely on a wheelchair feels incredibly dark, and yet perfectly in character for something out of fear and hunger.

[jamespage]

1:50:25

Can we appreciate for a second that Olivia is climbing up and down multiple ladders with debilitated legs, AND I suppose carrying her wheelchair while she does it?

This girl did not skip arm day. She should get WAY more of a melee bonus!

[FirstLast-cgnk]

One incredibly important aspect to consider is that in Fear and Hunger, Gro-Goroth's traces can cause the party to go insane by showing them the "true form of humanity", strongly implying that the way humanity looks isn't the way humanity actually is. So, the moonscorching may in fact be Rher burning away the illusion that disguises humanity's true form, bringing that truth to the surface. At least, that's one potential interpretation, since Rher's thing is revealing truths by moonlight.

[La_Scaille]

I watched this while falling asleep, and it gave me the most terrifying, sanity destroying, mind melting fever dreams ever. I woke up covered in sweat and questioning my reality.

Take that as a compliment.

[sushibalushi]

I love how Ragnvaldurs bloodline is basically this universes equivalent to the Belmonts in Castlevania

[victorsardaneta]

The fact that Domek could've avoided putting his daughter in danger had he elaborated a bit more on his letter. Dark Priests being socially awkward for hundreds of years lol. It now makes sense that the purpose of the letter was for Marina to have no reason to return, now that her mother was dead. He knew she hated him and wouldn't come back to see him, and while he disapproved of her choice, she was still his daughter and while disappointed could see why she wouldn't want to become a dark priest. It's a nice detail seeing how he has to consciously remind himself to call Marina a "him" when talking to others, because internally he had accepted Marina as a girl, even his last words was "stupid girl". Domek felt about Marina the same way she felt about him "I hate them but they're still family". Domeks failure was not taking into account how badly Marina thought of him, and that she would come back just to confront him.

[slappytheclown]

You can definitely tell the developer was a fan of Majora's Mask with this release. The evil moon, the 3 day time limit, the festival being called Termina.

[kmr_tl]

1:59:38
Olivia needs to find her sister.
Marcoh can't let her go alone.
O'saa wants to find the truth.
Abella... has a train to fix.

[Lazybonez]

Marcoh is a chad.Helps olivia get her wheelchair trains tanaka and punches a fucking god

[bonnieinlove]

My hc is that Henryk worked at Waffle House and that's why his combat skill is so high

[ihavenoholeandimustpoop]

First playthrough: " This is so fucked up on so many levels and it's ball busting hard I don't even know why I put myself through this"
Every other playthrough: "What if Marina and Levi kiss in the moonlight"?

[Mitochad]

Perfect, two more hours of peak lore content to consume and memorize

[MagikalKrabical]

O'saa: "Do you know what the machine even does?"
Abella: "Lol no" [turns on machine]