I’ve got a long week behind me, so I’m really looking forward to some gaming. I’ve recently picked up TUNIC, which I will likely be continuing - having lots of fun with it. The mix between a Zelda-like with some Dark Souls sprinkled in makes for a really interesting combination. The lore being told through the instruction manual makes for a really interesting approach to storytelling, seeing it all unravel in real-time and all the mental puzzle pieces falling into place.
Speaking of lore, should FromSoft make their lore more approachable? It’s been memed on to death that FS’s lore is notoriously hard to parse if you don’t have a PhD in Soulsology or are super attentive to every minute detail the game presents to you.
To me, it sometimes feels a little too cryptic. Don’t get me wrong - I love FS games for their environmental storytelling and the mystery surrounding most happenings. But sometimes I just prefer to have it laid out before me and not be that difficult to understand. I feel like having a Wiki or a YouTube video open to even understand the basics of the story can feel a little silly sometimes. But I’d be lying if I said I don’t enjoy all the different interpretations to the lore that leaves us with.
Take the story of Bloodborne, for example. There are so many video essays discussing all the numerous theories surrounding the game (Visceral Femininity by Honey Bat is fucking amazing) that recontextualise the story in such an enriching way that any game with more direct storytelling just can’t ever achieve.
However, a mix of direct and indirect storytelling is still awesome too. Sekiro is one of the few FromSoft games that, more or less, tells you exactly what is happening and why - it’s easy to follow along. Nevertheless, since it’s rooted in Japanese folklore and culture, a lot of bits are unspoken and left to the player to make sense of, so video essayists and lore enjoyers have something to chew on to.
What’s your take on this? Do you ever get frustrated with the “read a random item description” approach to lore?
God I love that Bambieshart’s Brocade meme
I am personally a fan of the obscure presentation of the lore because I enjoy theorising about it. I have many a headcanon. I do this with other games too, particularly the Elder Scrolls (which, for those who are unfamiliar, have a notoriously extensive catalogue of extremely weird semi-canon and non-canon-but-written-by-people-that-wrote-canon-stuff text). I would appreciate being able to discuss it with characters in-game more often, though. The characters don’t have to actually know the truth, I just want to be able to hear their opinions on things. The serpents in Dark Souls attempting to persuade you of which path to take and Melina’s efforts to sway you off of the Frenzied Flame are some of my favourite parts of the games
I will be either re-attempting to parry PCR to death or I’ll be trying out Sekiro for the first time. Which it shall be remains to be seen
Both exciting prospects, I’ll tell you hwhat! For PCR I advice you parry only the slower moves in phase two, and dodge the rest. T’was the recipie for sucess to me. You got it!
Thank you! I think if I can learn to dodge all the after-image stuff in phase two I’ve prooooobably got it. I just need to stay alive long enough to learn that
Do it. Best game ever.