Batman: Arkham vs Dark Souls: How to Open a Story
For the first post I put up here on my opinions with game design I felt like talking about two franchises that I really admire for their style, clear identity and contributions to the medium of games going forward as a whole. These two franchises are, as I’m sure you are capable of reading from the title, the Batman: Arkham series and the Dark Souls-like collection.
I want to compare how these two approach the challenge of investing player’s in the plot and why both are successful despite their differences. The main games I’m drawing my opinions from come from Arkham City and Dark Souls 3, as the former is the Batman game I’ve known the longest (being my first experience with the series) and the latter is, I feel, the greatest representation of all those games as a whole. So.
These games tend to open with a confrontation with some of the game’s primary villains- e.g: Joker and Killer Croc in AA, Hugo Strange and Penguin in AC and Scarecrow and the militia in AK- which is a straight-forward and effective way to immediately invest the player in the main conflict of the game by giving them some figures, who are clearly opposed to Batman, to hunt. Obviously this also makes sense seeing as these games are based amongst some of the most popular comic book locales and characters, so the target demographic of Batman fans will be instantly assured that the games will satisfy their expectations for the villains to be faced later in the game. This, partnered with the clear presentation of the settings, including the titular Arkham Asylum and City, means the story requires no exposition dumps or extended introduction for the player to come to terms with the odds they're up against.
As a kid who played these games, despite not being even slightly proficient at the game itself, the story instantly hooked me because I anticipated clashing with these beloved comic villains and seeing what new, more obscure characters I could find references to. In my view, this is what helped Rocksteady establish it’s name as the studio that revitalised the superhero game- a deep appreciation for the creativity seen in these properties, and a touch of genius in how they are altered and presented for the character to fit the story and not the other way round. So, in a quick little summary for my first point- the Arkham games introduce the player into the narrative effectively by teasing all the most promising parts of the Batman franchise to up the tension and pique the interest of even the most mild superhero fan.
As far as narrative directions can go, the Dark Souls approach could not be more antonymous to that of the Arkham games. Simple, engaging exposition to lay out the plot is left behind for a cryptic cutscene that technically provides most of the basic information for the premises of the game, but is likely to confound most players with it’s bare minimum introduction to the antagonists and goal of the game. As far as capturing a viewers attention, the cinematography is eye-catching and the visuals creative and otherworldly. From a narrative perspective this is an incredibly bold move- expecting the player to work for the most basic foundations of incentive for their journey is risky if the game world and characters aren’t interesting enough to warrant it. Lucky for Dark Souls- they are. In every game in the series there is no compromise in the lack of clarity, but the sheer creative influence of director Miyazaki creates the most powerful first impressions of characters that often convey some semblance of personality and motive that will fuel the lore searches the community is famed for.
I played Bloodborne, rather than any Dark Souls game, as my first foray into these worlds yet even as a small, stupid, comedically stunted 12-year-old I appreciated the atmosphere and consistent style of each character and environment. At the age when all any kid wanted to do was shoot or punch aliens in games, this one, wacky Japanese studio had piqued my interest in a story like nothing else had before it- and it was this studio and game that really heightened my eye for game design and made me consider working in the medium.
So. While there are likely numerous (albeit minor) flaws with each approach to storytelling, I think these two opposed styles of video game openings deserve special recognition. Hundreds of people have talked about the details of each games combat, or exploration, and backstory, but I think it’s fascinating that two hugely critically successful games can veer in almost opposite directions and still completely capture the player’s attention in the span of just their introductions. It goes to show that true commitment to your game’s themes and audience will reap it’s own rewards- Dark Souls complete aversion to compromise in it’s presentation of a brutal world, and Batman’s perfectly faithful presentation of some of the most beloved comic book characters out there.
This is partly why I love both these series, and why I know if you pick up either one you’ll be hooked before you know it.
