Heart of the Woods' Missing Prologue

Scenes get removed for a variety of reasons. Maybe there isn't space in the final work, maybe it doesn't fit the creators' vision for the work, or maybe it didn't turn out very well. Heart of The Woods' prologue sequence, a scene that was present in the demo but removed before the final release, is one of many scenes that suffered this fate, and I will look at what it might have added to the game.

Context

Heart of the Woods is a yuri fantasy visual novel about two best friends who take a trip to Eysenfeld in search of the supernatural, and find love in the process.

One significant subplot is Madison's decision to quit Taranormal, the YouTube channel she helped Tara start. Madison announces her decision just before the two depart for Eysenfeld, resulting in friction between her and Tara. It isn't a decision Madison made lightly, since she played a large role in helping build Taranormal, but she wants to be able to take back her life.

The game begins on the train to Eysenfeld, three days after Madison announced her decision to quit and minutes before Madison and Tara meet Morgan.

The Scene

The prologue scene begins in the middle of a recording of an episode of Taranormal, with Tara confirming that she's single, and eagerly advertising Madison' status as such to potential girlfriends out there. Tara remarks that it's a surprise that Madison doesn't have a girlfriend yet, a remark that was most likely written before the decision to have Tara and Madison experiment with dating in their backstory, or for Madison to observe that it's been a year since the end of her last relationship. Madison's annoyed with Tara, both for dragging her on-camera and for trying to hook her up with someone, but realizes that there's no stopping Tara when she's this exuberant.

After Tara answers a question about her favorite cryptid(the Fresno Nightcrawler) and who the gayest cryptid is (Tara herself), she, at Madison's insistence, gets to the main topic- their upcoming trip. Tara needs Madison's help to remember Eysenfeld's name, but recovers her momentum once she gets the name, and likens it to their trip to hunt the mothman in West Virginia. Madison remembers that the trip nearly got them arrested for trespassing without uncovering any evidence. Tara mentions how Morgan invited them to Eysenfeld for a longer period of time than most of their trips, and Madison regrets not making it clearer that she doesn't want to go. Tara then mentions that they won't be uploading videos while they're gone. Madison worries about keeping Tara under control, especially since the train comes a month, but notes that doing so is part of her job description, showing how difficult she often finds working with Tara.

Tara thanks her viewers in a what that, while a bit egotistical, shows her passion for her work and her appreciation for her supporters. Madison feels a bit guilty about leaving, even if she doesn't get nearly as much of the limelight.

Madison is somewhat shocked that Tara hasn't even started packing yet, even though they leave on Monday, and insists that Tara begin immediately. Tara reluctantly complies, but can't find her "meds," so she asks Madison where they are. and Madison answers immediately.  Tara thanks Madison, calling her "the best manager ever," and making Madison feel even more guilty about quitting. Madison realizes that she should tell Tara sooner rather than later, but knows Tara will take it personally. Tara notices Madison is distracted but doesn't know why, so Madison says it's about the trip, and Tara says how excited she is. As Madison decides not to tell Tara about quitting right now, lest she spoil her mood, the scene ends.

Pros and Cons of Cutting the Prologue

Not including the prologue has its share of positive and negative effects. First, the positives.

Cutting out a prologue scene helps reduce the amount of time it takes to get to Eysenfeld and begin investigating the town, and provides a somewhat more natural opening to the game, which already takes a while to get going. Some of the information that is provided in it can be conveyed to the readers in other ways.

• Tara's rather disorganized nature is first shown when, on the train ride over, she doesn't remember Morgan's last name, and Madison has to provide it for her.
• During one internal monologue about the show in Chapter 2, Madison mentions that while Tara paid her, Madison doesn't have her name in the title or much screentime. A part of her is fine with that, but she also doesn't really think of Taranormal as her project.
• Tara's profile mentions that she's been arrested for trespassing in four different states, which is one indication of the trouble she gets up to
• Madison's sexuality is mentioned in passing, rather than Tara bluntly dropping it on a public livestream. It's indicated that she's attracted to Abigail in Chapter 2, her  experimental relationship is brought up later that chapter, and she mentions that she had at least one other girlfriend when the POV returns to her..

Now for the negatives of removing it.

• The opening sequence shows an episode of Taranormal, even if it is an announcement video. Madison and Tara often talk about the work they do for Taranormal, but w never get to see the finished product.
• It also shows the typical state of Madison and Tara's friendship, particularly how much effort it takes Madison to look after Tara. Compare how in the final game, things between Madison and Tara are tense in the first chapter, the two mostly stop speaking in the second chapter, are separated in the third and fourth chapters, and are only reunited in the fifth chapter.
• It also shows that Madison had some misgivings about her decision to quit, such as correctly predicting that Tara would take it personally. It also shows that while her timing wasn't the best, telling Tara days before the trip would have been better than waiting until later.

Conclusion

Essentially, the scene isn't critical to the plot but its removal does end up sacrificing some interesting characterization details in exchange for a better flow to the story. While I have mixed feelings about losing this scene, I think the change was ultimately for the best, since the final product was eventually able to convey most of what was expressed in this scene, albeit in different ways.