The Cradle of Ruin

* Overview
* Gallery

**The Cradle of Ruin** (ほろびのゆりかご *Horobi no Yurikago*) is a psychological thriller game created by Charon. It was initially released on December 28th, 2017; it would later receive an English translation in early 2019.

## Summary

Houtarou lives in a shelter with four women. They never doubt the happiness in their daily lives, until it suddenly ends one day. The first and most difficult choice lies in front of Houtarou: he must do something to escape the repeating tragedy before their entire world is destroyed.

## Endings

There are three main routes to this game, of which two split off from a single choice at the beginning. To access the **A route**, Houtarou must trust Megi and follow her into the warehouse. To access the **B route**, Houtarou must trust Angelica and not follow Megi into the warehouse. To access the **C route**, the code word *ELDARC* must be inputted in the main menu.

### A Route - Bad End 1: The End of the Unfavored

If Houtarou tells Megi that she is wrong for thinking about risking her life for something/someone she loves, she will wonder why she was thinking about that, before she suddenly stops talking and sends Houtarou to bed. After he goes to sleep, Houtarou will begin a monologue stating that everything is over. Everyone died in the white box monotonously waiting for their lives to be over.

### A Route - Bad End 2: The Tender Cradle

As Tsuna is hanging off the edge in the Machine Room, Houtarou goes to save her and chooses not to let her go. Megi then comes in, helps him pull Tsuna back up, and scolds them for entering the Machine Room. Time then skips forward, with Houtarou having a peaceful life with Tsuna conceiving a child with her.

### A Route - Bad End 3: The Last Supper

When Megi and Mekuri start fighting, Houtarou chooses to shoot at Mekuri, who then tells him to believe in and that no one will blame him for doing this before dying. Megi then tells Houtarou that she will die soon, and that he should eat her when that happens. After she dies later, Houtarou fulfills his promise and eats her like she asked.

### A Route - Bad End 4: Dying North Land

When Megi and Mekuri start fighting, Houtarou chooses to shoot at Megi, who then apologizes for not being with him until the end and thanks him for being her child, before dying. Mekuri then takes the key to the underground tunnel while Houtarou walks through the rooms of the shelter one last time. After entering the tunnel, the two come across a bridge that requires someone holding down the button in the corner of the room to stay up. Mekuri leaves herself behind in order for Houtarou to escape. As he escapes from the shelter, Houtarou begins monologuing about his and the others' lives, as he leaves Hokkaido and heads towards Tokyo.

### B Route - Bad End 5: Demon in the Garden

When Demonica forces Houtarou to choose who dies first, he picks Tsuna, who is then gutted with her intestines spilling everywhere. Demonica then mocks Mekuri before moving to kill Houtarou, and the screen fades to black as she tortures everyone left in the shelter. After this, she then turns to (presumably) the player, stating that this torture will continue unless they do something about it.

### B Route - Bad End 6: Wing of Hope

When Demonica forces Houtarou th choose who dies first, he picks Mekuri, who then has her legs cut off by a guillotine. As Mekuri tries to convince him that he did nothing wrong, Demonica turns to kill Houtarou next before suddenly being shot. It is revealed that Megi survived her previous encounter with Demonica due to being a robot. Mekuri's past with her father is then shown, with him telling her to become someone who can protect others, before leaving Mekuri behind. In her last moments, Mekuri gives Houtarou an unknown object and tells him to leave the shelter with Tsuna, which he does. As the two kids leave and travel to Tokyo, Mekuri monologues about how they are beginning a new chapter of their lives due to the hope given to them by Megi.

### C Route - Bad End 7: Untitled

When Megi asks Houtarou if he wants to stay in the dream or be born, he chooses to stay. Megi's eyes then go dark as she states that she is disappointed in him, and that he doesn't understand his mother's heart. Everyone leaves the shelter as the environment fades to black; upon entering the empty shelter, Houtarou will talk to the player about how he wasn't born. Now, he is stuck in a nightmare, and *you* killed him.

### C Route - True End: The Dream of Fetus

When Megi asks Houtarou if he wants to stay in the dream or be born, he decides to leave the dream and be born, which Megi expresses her happiness about. She then begins to cry, stating that although the dream was fake, their memories of it were real. As the world fades to white, Megi states that she will always be with Houtarou, so he should never give up on living, no matter what. After the credits, it is revealed that the events of this game took place within the dreams of an unborn baby. As this baby, now named Houtarou, is born, he accepts his existence in the world and begins his new life.

## Trivia

* The Cradle of Ruin is unique in its route system; instead of each route being centered around a certain character, each route focuses on the interactions between the characters as their relationships devolve.
	+ Additionally, both the A and B routes stem from a singular choice towards the beginning of the story.

## Ending Art

Bad Ending 2: The Tender CradleBad Ending 3: The Last SupperBad Ending 5: Demon in the GardenBad Ending 6: Wing of HopeTrue Ending: The Dream of Fetus
## Other Art

The screen that shows up while transitioning between days in-game.Megi and Mikuri fight one another.A transition screen featuring Houtarou.A transition screen featuring Megi.A transition screen featuring Mikuri.A transition screen featuring Tsuna.A transition screen featuring Angelica.