Talk:The Very Last Step/@comment-25052433-20150720010544

Well, let me take the first step in reviewing the The Last Step.

I sort of have to treat this one the same as I did with Pandoras Box Sine. As a ritual pasta, it was amazing, however, when it comes to the specific grading components, like character development and plot, it will likely suffer a slightly lower score. This is not to say that there is anything bad about this pasta, but I cannot give points for character development in a story that really doesn't have a cast of characters, if you get my point. Either way, let's see how it comes out.

Creativity: This was a very creative ritual pasta, and, much like Pandoras Box Sine, it stands as one of the better ritual stories that I have seen on this site. I would happily put this story up against works like The Devil Game or 11 Miles anyday, as I think this one was written with a level of brilliance and detail that is lacking in many other ritual stories. Some of the elements that I didn't like though were the automatic answers that you said you'd give the devil. Making the character robotic in the sense takes away from the organic feel of a story, as though whatever fate was going to fall would fall without a chance for the character to make their own decisions on the matter.

Quality of Plot: With ritual pastas, there the ritual typically becomes the plot. Now, in this case, you did a bit more with it than most ritual writers do, and that will reflect in the final score. While it was a ritual story, it still had some elements of action and adventure, and that is certainly goes towards a better, fuller story. What I didn't care for much was the sword and pistol part. It felt a bit too much like a video game, especially with unlimited ammo concept. It think the scene would have had far more impact if the character was expected to rip is twin apart with his bare hands rather than weapons.

Quality of Characters: As I said before, ritual pastas suffer in this area. The main character is not going to be developed at all, and the devil is mostly just portrayed as the traditional concept of Satan. While it was done well, it has been done before.

Creepiness: Like I mentioned above, this one came across more like a video game than anything else, with the puzzles and fight scenes. The ritual, while it did contain fast paced action and a nice hint of adventure, did not really come across as creepy. However, this was still one of the most ambitious ritual pastas that I have come across, and did a fine job of taking the ritual concept and almost converting it into a genuine plot.

I will score this one a 45, combined with Grim's score of 85, giving a total of 130 points.

Final Score: 130 points.