Tag Archives: narrative

Delving Into..., Dragon Quest, Hand of the Heavenly Bride

Delving Into Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – #4

1 Comment

I think I’m nearing the end of Hand of the Heavenly Bride. It’s just a feeling I have.

As we’ve previously discussed, Dragon Quest is not generally a series for making a huge deal out of significant narrative moments, preferring to allow you to draw your own meaning from them rather than attempting to force you to feel a particular way through lengthy cutscenes.

This doesn’t make those significant moments any less meaningful or effective, however — it’s just a markedly different treatment of these events than you’d find in many other games.

Continue reading Delving Into Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – #4 →

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Cream the Rabbit

3 Comments

There are many reasons one can find a character appealing.

Sometimes it’s as simple a base desire as “BIG FAT BAT TATS” — although many fans of Rouge will almost certainly point to other aspects of the character they like besides her formidable assets — but at other times it’s about a feeling of connection and warmth.

In many ways it’s a lot like the eight different types of love the ancient Greeks posited. Even among a cast of characters such as that of the Sonic series, where many characters have a lot of appeal elements in common, one can feel very differently about one character compared to how they feel about another.

Here’s Cream the Rabbit.

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Cream the Rabbit →

Delving Into..., Dragon Quest, Hand of the Heavenly Bride

Delving Into Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – #3

5 Comments

Exciting things have been happening in the world of Dragon Quest V, and I am thoroughly enraptured with this game.

I can’t remember the last RPG that managed to make one’s adventure feel so simultaneously personal and meaningful to the broader context in which the narrative unfolds. But Hand of the Heavenly Bride does a wonderful job at this — and now I’m into the game’s third (and, I believe, final) act, things are escalating considerably while still remaining tightly focused on the protagonist and his family.

Let’s take a closer look, then! Doubtless you’ve already figured out that spoilers likely abound in this series, but I’ll warn you once more just in case.

Continue reading Delving Into Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – #3 →

Delving Into..., Dragon Quest, Hand of the Heavenly Bride

Delving into Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – #2

1 Comment

I’m about ten hours deep into Hand of the Heavenly Bride at the time of writing… and it’s been a highly enjoyable adventure so far.

Last time, we talked a bit about how the prologue chapter of the game represents an interesting exploration of childhood and fatherhood.

Now that my adventure “proper” is well underway, I thought I’d start examining some of the interesting things this fifth installment in the series is doing.

Continue reading Delving into Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – #2 →

Delving Into..., Dragon Quest, Hand of the Heavenly Bride

Delving Into Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – #1

5 Comments

For one reason or another, fatherhood has always been a popular subject to explore through video games.

Interestingly, when fatherhood is presented in a positive light (as opposed to stories of, for example, abusive or absent fathers) it tends to be with the player in the role of said father, rather than the child. But there are plenty of interesting stories to be told about fatherhood from the child’s perspective, too.

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride’s early hours explore this idea in some detail, making for an incredibly memorable prologue chapter that concludes with plenty of incentive to set off on an adventure.

Continue reading Delving Into Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – #1 →

Cover Games, Hyrule Warriors

Hyrule Warriors: Fun with Timelines

6 Comments

cropped-header2-4026370This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
<< First | < Previous | Next > | Latest >>

The Zelda series timeline is… complicated. Whether or not it was originally intended to be that way is a matter of opinion, but the fact remains: Zelda is complicated.

Hyrule Warriors is regarded as a non-canonical installment in the series as a whole. But to be honest, with the way it’s set up, it actually slots quite nicely into the convoluted timeline, albeit mostly unfolding in its own separate little corner, largely (but not completely) divorced from the main paths down which the series’ narratives progress.

Let’s take a look at how Hyrule Warriors fits in with Zelda lore as a whole… as well as how the series got to the state it’s in today.

Continue reading Hyrule Warriors: Fun with Timelines →

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Sky

2 Comments

Well, after covering the titular heroine herself, her biggest rival and one of her best friends, it wouldn’t do to leave the other core female cast member of the Shantae series high and dry, would it?

Sky has been a fixture in the Shantae series for as long as all the other main characters, and she’s had some interesting development over time.

She’s one of numerous examples that the team at WayForward has become increasingly comfortable and confident with putting these characters in a variety of situations, and making them a true ensemble cast to be proud of.

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Sky →

Cover Games, Shantae

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse: What a Lovely Day to Have a Curse

6 Comments

cropped-header2-2052908This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
<< First | < Previous | Next > | Latest >>

There’s something really satisfying about the title “Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse”. It sounds like the sort of thing I’d have had on my bookshelf as a kid — part of a series I’d have almost certainly wanted to collect an entire set of. Remember books? They were pretty all right.

Anyway, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is the third installment in the Shantae series, marking a few fundamental shake-ups to the game structure we’ve come to expect by this point, an interesting new narrative, absolutely beautiful pixel art and some of Jake Kaufman’s finest soundtrack work.

Oh, and it’s also one of the slickest, most satisfying titles in the series in terms of gameplay, too. If you only play one Shantae game, play this one… although I hope I’ve made it abundantly clear by now that you should probably actually play all of them. In order. One after the other. As soon as possible.

Continue reading Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse: What a Lovely Day to Have a Curse →

One-Shots

Lily’s Day Off: The Visual Novel, Condensed

Leave a comment

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve indulged in a visual novel or two in your time. Perhaps they’re even a primary form of entertainment for you.

Those of you who have explored the medium to some extent have doubtless discovered that there isn’t really any such thing as a “typical” visual novel — some, like Dharker Studio’s Negligee, are effectively short stories designed to be enjoyed over the course of no more than a couple of hours, even if they have multiple endings or routes. Others, like the wonderful Grisaia and Fate/stay night, can take a hundred hours or more to see through to completion.

Sometimes, you want the experience of a visual novel’s approach to interactive multimedia storytelling without having to devote a significant proportion of your life to enjoying it. Sometimes you want something that will just entertain you for an evening but still give you the sense that you’ve “completed” something. Sometimes a game like Lily’s Day Off is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Continue reading Lily’s Day Off: The Visual Novel, Condensed →

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Risky Boots

5 Comments

The Shantae series is effortlessly and consistently sexy.

We’ve already talked about how the titular protagonist of the series exemplifies this perfectly, but the same is also true of a number of other characters throughout — most notably primary antagonist Risky Boots. Hell, even that name is kinda hot.

Risky is also a great example of how the Shantae series as a whole populates its world with interestingly flawed characters rather than one-dimensional heroes and villains — and as such elevates herself from simply “sexy villain” to “beloved character” in her own right.

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Risky Boots →