Yeah. Since the end, I’ve mostly written in its defense, but this is a fair criticism. I mean, I can make guesses at what Hussie was aiming for with Game Over and how it would make sense as a continuation of his narrative(and the themes and world-building he was interested in), but it was a fundamentally Bad Move as Storytelling; not much different from “It Was All a Dream” endings. If the Game Over characters and plotlines had continued to be relevant in the new Continuity, or interwoven in some clever way, it would have been one thing, but handled the way it was it pretty much just invalidated everything that came before it, which is super-unsatisfying[1].
And when the work is as character-focused as Homestuck is, this sort of thing is an even rougher direction to take. People are mostly there for the characters, for their interactions, for seeing them respond to the challenges the world(and each other, and their selves) present. There’s a sort of implicit guarantee that these difficulties, however they play out, will fundamentally involve the strengths, weaknesses, and relationships of the characters fans are so deeply engaged with. To wipe those character and their trials out, then replace them with happier version who never really faced those trials, then imply that this difference is entirely the result of a highly fractious and historically abusive character’s presence, then never take the time to explore this implication(or even give yourself the time to do it, really) before handing them all a super-conventional ending(in a super-unconventional story), is just not going to go over well. If you’re going to do something like that you need to take the time to explore and justify it, and not taking that time doesn’t just make it feel inauthentic but kind of rushed, which is a bit ironic to say about a 7 year old webcomic with as much workhours poured into it as HS has, but there it is. And that’s probably why we’re seeing all of these theories for why everything since Game Over was the way it was; all this stuff about Hussie changing tact midstream, being tired of the whole project, and becoming preoccupied with other things(which, given everything that’s come out of the rumor mill since this, would be completely understandable). Invalidating the plot and character development like that makes it seem like the author isn’t really engaged in the story anymore.
[1] And you could probably go back further with this since, while I liked Act 6, the Three Years was just the Kids inexplicably wallowing in all their flaws and regrets amped up to 11, with all the strengths and friendships which would counteract this negativity just as bizarrely absent.
