Tag Archives: death

Red Bow: Older Than Water, Stubborn as Stone

One-man development team Stranga Games has been quietly establishing himself as one to watch in the world of independently developed psychological horror games, presented in gorgeous lo-fi pixel art.

At the time of writing, Red Bow is the latest in a series of games with a loose thematic link to them, following Just Ignore Them and My Big Sister. And, in keeping with the way Stranga apparently likes to do things, we once again have another short-form, thought-provoking adventure that provides ruminations on the subject of mortality, explored through interactions with the monstrous.

The world of Stranga Games is not a happy one… but it’s certainly a fascinating one. Let’s descend into the darkness once again.

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Waifu Wednesday: Kurona

We’re about to kick off a month of Gal*Gun 2 funtimes… so what better time to celebrate one HELL of a girl?

Kurona is the antagonist in both Gal*Gun Double Peace and Gal*Gun 2, and a favourite waifu of Matt Papa from developer Inti Creates. It’s not hard to figure out why people find her so appealing… but it’s also interesting to note that she undergoes some fun development between the events of Double Peace and its sequel.

Without further ado, then, let’s say HELL-o to this red-headed wild child. DEATH.

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Nier Automata: Narrative, Themes and Characterisation

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Nier creator Taro Yoko is particularly fascinated with death: not only the concept itself, but also how different people respond to it.

Yoko’s interest in the subject, as we’ve previously discussed, stems from a traumatic experience in his youth when he witnessed the accidental, easily avoidable death of a friend and discovered, to his surprise, that there was something oddly humorous in the moment as well as it being horrifying. Someone’s existence had come to a premature end, yes, but there was something fundamentally ridiculous about how it had happened; how sudden it was; and how everyone was powerless in the moment to prevent it from happening.

The inherent ridiculousness of death — particularly accidental death — is something that gamers have been familiar with for many years. And so what better medium through which to explore the concept itself — and what better characters to do so with than those that can’t die through conventional means?

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