An Escapist's View Of Games And Storytelling
For whatever reason, we don't really link The Escapist enough on GSW. We think maybe it's because each issue of the 'web magazine' feels more like a magazine than a website. Or something? But we've been reading The Escapist Lounge too, and a recent post about Jordan Mechner and storytelling on there caught our eye.
Blogger Will Hindmarch segues off a Jordan Mechner anecdote to ask the question: "Is exposition storytelling?", continuing: "How much essential exposition in video games gets lost because designers feel the need to obfuscate it with theatrics? I mean, that brief brutish primer on the Dagger in Sands never bothered me when I actually played the game; it told me what I needed to know, then went on its way. But how many games have we played where we got stuck because we weren't sure what we were supposed to be doing in this level or that?"
Hindmarch suggests: "The magnificent Grim Fandango was a headache for me because I was so often unsure just what the hell Manny was supposed to be doing half the time. (The environment in Grim Fandango was well worth wandering through, but my point remains.)" So... where's the balance between over-literal explanation and delightfully unguided exploration? And which games do this particularly well?
Comments
I think it all has to do with interface (UI). Many games do well to tell the player what button to push when an "action item" comes up. Others actually keep a diary of things you need to do to accomplish your goal (KOTOR, Morrowind [in a patch], Oblivion). If you're not "quick" enough to understand what is going on, it's good to have a crutch for you to use to hobble along the storyline. But as someone who enjoys not knowing the entire story from the get-go, I'm glad that some narratives aren't 100% telling in their dialogue and theatrics. Then again, I can empathize with the frustration of not knowing what to do.
A fine example is when I was playing Beyond Good and Evil. A superb game, very fun, inventive, and fresh. After freeing your piggy friend from the circle of mirrors and lights you must move into the next hall, and slip between the crack of a door and the wall. I spent roughly 4 to 5 hours of gameplay trying to open that door with the lights/mirrors. That was rather frustrating, even thought the game (as a whole) was wonderful to play.
Posted by: Hic-a-doo-la | April 11, 2006 6:59 AM
It's difficult under these circumstances, because if you have puzzles, then it's possible that you won't be able to work out how to solve them, and that's part of the game. And what GameFAQs is for!
Posted by: simonc | April 11, 2006 5:41 PM