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Last Topic: 9:18:56pm, 02/04/2024
Last Post: 5:55:33pm, 12/19/2023
YoukaiSlayer posted...
It's very difficult to tell that story as a game very well, because again, I AM the character.
Not really. You're choosing to play the role of a mostly static, pre-existing character. If you want a game where the character is actually a reflection of whatever you want them to be, go play D&D or another RPG that actually claims to offer that kind of freedom. You're not going to get that from a JRPG or other RPG where the characters and story are largely fixed, nor will you ever because that's just not the kind of game they try to be.
YoukaiSlayer posted...
What happens if I am smarter than they are letting my character be and I suspect that guy the whole time but theres nothing I can do about it?
What would you do? Stab him in front of all the townsfolk that believe he's innocent and get executed for murder? Insist to all the townsfolk that are pleading with you to save the neighbouring town that they're all stupid and you need to stay there and play Sitting on Your Ass Simulator 2023 so the BBEG doesn't get a chance to destroy yours? Start a fight with somebody who will almost certainly mop the floor with you unless you've been metagaming hard enough that you're in no position to complain that your metagaming isn't reflected in the canon?
If you actually do find a plausible alternative? Give yourself a pat on the back for being tremendously clever and go on with your life, letting the story play out as intended. It's not really a big deal unless the story gets really contrived.
YoukaiSlayer posted...
If I were to play that same story AS Arvan though, I'd hate that
It's consistent. You're playing as him clinging to the hope that what you're collecting will work. Maybe it won't, and maybe you figure out that it probably won't, but you still hope that it will. No matter how much writing you read on the wall, you're never going to be certain that it won't work (at least, presuming the foreshadowing is just hinting that it might not and not outright telling you, since that would be bad foreshadowing), so putting yourself in Arven's shoes and hoping it will is perfectly plausible. It's still going to feel bad if the dog dies, because dogs dying always feels bad, but a story about a dog dying isn't exactly meant to be good feelings all the way.
YoukaiSlayer posted...
I can't think of several jrpgs that even have an interesting story, annoying twist or not.
Yeah, but you get upset if the story doesn't go exactly the way you think it should, so I'm not sure you're the best judge of that.
Xenoblade 1 is one of the best examples that comes to mind: You spend most of the game believing Mechonis and the mechon to be the enemy, but gradually learn that the Machina exist and that the people of Mechonis are also victims of this ancient war, ultimately culminating in forgiving Egil to break the cycle of violence and the reveal that the Bionis has been the real enemy of the world all along. At no point is it actually an option to *not* fight Egil and the mechon, given how much of a threat they pose, but as soon as you think the world is safe because the mechon have been neutralized, Zanza shows his hand and the pieces of foreshadowing you've been collecting all fall into place to reveal that everything you've done to date has not been working toward beating the real Big Bad. Most of that foreshadowing has been subtle enough to not give the whole thing away (though I will say I'm not a huge fan of Dickson's periodic "I sure do feel bad about being secretly evil lol" asides, given how hamfistedly they beat the player over the head with the idea that there's more to him than meets the eye), but it's all there and it all makes sense once you've got a bit of context to support it. Despite the truth of the world invalidating everything done to that point, however, it does not make that progress feel pointless, because everything led up to that revelation and to Shulk developing in a way that forced Zanza to take matters into his own hands.
YoukaiSlayer posted...
A lot of times much less important gameplay decisions negatively impact the story, like needing to visit every set piece location.
Yes, blatant padding can mess with story pacing a lot. Side quests also often do this, but I'm inclined to give them a pass because they're optional.
YoukaiSlayer posted...
The stumbling blocks should all be gameplay solvable. Thats why it's a game.
Or it's a game because the author felt that worked better for pacing and audience investment purposes than another medium would have, and limiting the story by removing all possibility of failure would be silly.
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