#ludonarrative

[o2beagirl]

I've always been the type to care for a song's title at least half as much as the actual music itself. And with that said, A World Without You There to Guide It from Scarlet Hollow Episode 5 is such a good one. It directly takes from the last line of The Truth of Memory segment: "But days and daughters come and go, and you are very patient. You have to be, if you're to stop the hurt that would scar a world without you there to guide it." So it borrows a bit of its quality from Tony's and Abby's writing, which is exceptionally moving on its own, but still! It so perfectly encapsulates the thing that defines Sybil as a character (and, by means of meta/ludonarrative and character foiling, embodies YOU as a Player too). Sybil believes she needs to stay present, to keep making a hundred calculated sacrifices for the Greater Good. Because if She wasn't there, what would happen? If she weren't there, surely hugely tragic things would happen, tragedy cannot be allowed to happen at that scale, right? The world cannot be scarred like that. She consumes her daughters not out of malice, but out of necessity, because it is the least damage for the greatest outcome. And similarly, don't we as Players do a similar thing on our "canon" playthroughs? The secret is that from one angle, from the most min-maxed omniscient lens, Scarlet Hollow is just as much a strategy game as it is a narrative visual novel RPG. At the end of every day something tragic will happen. You will have to choose which people will suffer. You choose what sacrifice to make on their behalf. Sure, you can save a couple with the trait saves, but those are a scarce resource; you have to be tactical with them. After enough repeated runs you learn new things about the choices you make, not just how they feel but what they mean for Scarlet Hollow. If you let Duke die, the cops will be more suspicious of you, so it could be advantageous to you in Episode 5 if you let Gretchen die in Episode 1... If you abandon the restless spirit of Charles Shaw Jr in the Town Hall you will have the energy to gather more information in Episode 4, so it could be advantageous to forsake Oscar and Rosalina to a life of squalid housing for the time being... If you let Dr Kelly live, Rosalina and Bo have a better chance of surviving, so it could be advantageous to you to let Reese Kelly stay trapped forever in his cage of neglected humanity... If you try over and over and plan how to get the "BEST" conclusions, it becomes a game of calculated sacrifice and For The Greater Goods. Some loved ones will have to die. Some children will have to be maimed. Some demons will have to remain tormented. Some wretches will have to be locked in cages for the rest of their lives. Some fathers will have to have their children taken from them. Some daughters will have to be absorbed into something greater. But that's necessary. These sacrifices have to be made. Daughters come and go. You have to be like this. You have to do this. After all, it's the only way to stop the hurt that would scar A World Without You There to Guide It.

[mbharestuff]

Yes, the gender stuff in Silent Hill f is great and interesting. but also! The idea of weapon durability as a mechanic being tied to local religious customs (with a historical-ish basis in feudal Japanese soldier-exiles) of leaving tools (melee weapons) is SO SICK WITH IT. Actually brilliant.

[malcolmschmitz]

I still love Fire Emblem: Three Houses, I love the characters and world, and I think it's fun and engaging.

.... But I've learnt a LOT about writing for games since I played Three Houses for the first time, and the cracks in it from a craft perspective are a bit noticeable.

And I'm not even talking about the story structure/mystery stuff or the fact that some of these kids are incredibly compelling and some are... Ferninand... or anything about the writing itself. It's all about how they've chosen to present that story as a game.

[issak]

So Nexus Mods eh?

Really help with the immersion for certain games no ?

Like better lighting, more Realistic Clothes physics, smoother textures, realistic chainmail armor and so on...........

Or you know removing ..... certain articles.... during cut-scenes where their presence creates Ludonarrative dissonance ....... yeap .... that's all there is to it. No intrusive mods in here, only when the narrative calls for it, nothing to see here.....

So with that OUT of the way ......

Pizzles of Bohemia

Cough cough

Really sell how dire The boys opening scene of the game comes to be, say what you will about Hans Crafted outwards "Persona" but if it weren't for "it" they would both had died then and there.

You don't say Jan Ptáček......the whole camp is here but whatever COME Jindra Bathe with me, Take off your clothes and Stop being a stick in the mud, with all that duty and stuffy honor, I just want to have fun with you.

Maybe I'm laying it down a bit too thick.... better to bring it back into the BRO-zone

And INMIDIATELY after the game gives you back control, we are in a High School Anime plot, Sir Hans is reliable to fault to his Faults.

Let's sneak Butt naked up to these unsuspecting Girls, What could Possibly go wrong? I'm A Noble Don't U Know?

You are Like a little kid aren't you, Why are you giggling? Don't you go to the bathhouse all the time back home? Aren't you always claiming how the "bath Wenches" are all over you there, how is this better? Sir Hanush Would be So angry at you if he were to learn of this behavior.

Henry is judging you so HARD right now, you've made him upset, he knows where this is going HAAAAANS!!!

Everything went to shit and Now Henry has a new hole on his back (granted Henry had a hand on this outcome this time) M.r Knight In Birthday Armor.

Props to Henry For Fighting an mercenary Naked, and then wrestle him over a cliff edge to their apparent demised. Anything For the Safety of Lord Capon in Henry's mind

Hans: you are lucky to be alive, you fell on top of that guy a...

Henry: What are you wearing? Hans: What ?

Henry: you were Naked 5min Ago? what are wearing? what's more why is that bloke Naked ? Did you.... Hans: Like he is going to need clothes now! I'm putting them to better use! Henry :......... Can .....can I have some Sire? Hans: You expect a Noble to be gallivanting NAKED in the woods at NIGHT ?! God's wounds that fall must have scramble you head More than I realized Henry: I don't need them all just some, Sir Hans I'm Naked!

Hans: No time They could be here any second now ! Henry: But Hans: I need them All HAL! Now GET UP! You are not Allowed to die on me!

Hans after dropping a Hallucinating and feverish Henry like a sack of potatoes on poor  Bozhena's Floor with no strength left in him "Please PLZ Fix him, He is all dirty, and filthy, and cover in BLOOD, and a Peasant, and HE IS ALL I HAVE !!!!

After the worse of the wounds are taken care off, it's time to explain to the delirious man the situation.

Yeahhhh that would be the fever and blood lost talking, maybe table this discussion for the morning after.

It's a new day, Feeling better Lad? Your pal got quite hurt trying to protect you last night.

WHERE IS SIR HANS ?! WHAT WRONG WITH HIM? HOW HURT IS HE? Curse these wounds I can't get to him fast enough.

[magic-the-girlbossing]

I've recently been cooking up a Rowan, Scion of War deck and one of the things that struck me while I was thinking about the way I wanted to win with the deck is how perfect Crackle with Power is as a wincon for her and the way that perfectly integrates her function in gameplay with her character and motivation in the Wilds of Eldraine story.

For a primer, here are the cards that I'm talking about:

Rowan, Scion of War taps to reduce the cost of all red or black spells you cast by X, where X is the amount of life you've lost this turn.

Crackle with Power is an X spell that deals five times X damage to each of up to X targets.

The synergy is obvious. Most of the time, a Crackle with Power that is sufficiently charged can instantly win you the game, and, provided you lose enough life to make it worth your while, Rowan can give the spell the power it needs.

Will and Rowan's conflict in Wilds of Eldraine come down to their views on power: both its meaning and the justification of its use. Will's power, at least in Rowan's perspective, is almost entirely ephemeral. He holds the crown — the position of High King — but to Rowan, this power isn't anything real. He hopes to be the figurehead: a king in name who brings together the divided world in a time of strife.

(Quotes below from Wilds of Eldraine Chapter 1 by K. Arsenault Rivera)

"The Realm needs a High King; I did what I had to do... We have to be careful about the impression we're making. People want to be united, and I want to unite them."

Rowan doesn't think he can do it. Rowan believes that the only form of power that people will respect is action; she sees Will's focus on unity as inaction.

"Let them be afraid. I doubt any of them will be raiding the countryside any time soon with the beating we gave them. I'd rather have a thousand brigands living in fear of me than a dozen farmers living in fear of brigands... "Our parents wouldn't ignore a curse that's spreading through the kingdom. Or is 'unity' going to solve the Wicked Slumber, too? And before you forget, our parents earned their titles. You just decided to call yourself High King because you thought it suited you."

She knows she has power — real power — and is frustrated that Will won't let her use it to address the problems at hand.

Rowan's intentions are good — or at least they adhere to a morality. She wants to prevent people, especially Will, from suffering, wants to end the Wicked Slumber, wants Eldraine to be at peace, but doesn't think that any of this can happen if she is unable to utilize her full power. She feels the incessant need to take action, to demonstrate power, to invoke fear and hurt to attain the good that she seeks.

Crackle with Power demonstrates the pinnacle of this philosophy in Rowan's experience. It represents an action she took on impulse, pushing herself through fear and pain, yet still fueled by her own righteousness.

(Quotes below from Strixhaven Chapter 5 by Adana Washington)

Rowan felt a cold anger rising from somewhere inside her—rage, overwhelming the fear and the pain. She couldn't win, but she could hurt the one who did this... The Snarl hung in the air, still brilliant, even in crimson. Still rippling with power. Rowan took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and reached out.

And when she reached into The Snarl, took its power with the goal of bringing punishment upon those that would cause her and her brother harm, it was incredible.

She felt the power rushing through her, power like she had never dreamed. It felt, in that moment, that she could do anything; mountains would crumble before her, cities burn, oceans boil. She hardly noticed as her feet left the ground, wind swirling as if the air itself feared her. And it should, thought Rowan. Everything should.

This moment may not be the beginning of this pattern of thought for Rowan but it is a very pronounced one. She seized power when it was available, and took action when it was most needed, and the result was that she got exactly what she wanted. It's no wonder that after that she would hope to do it again.

And so Rowan leaves Will behind to go on her own journey: an angry, impulsive journey that sees her tempted to become the thing she swore she would destroy, only for the hope that she could once again use her power. For the greater good. At any cos.

Crackle with Power sees Rowan acting impulsively, with cruelty, with anger, to do something that she feels is right. In its mechanics, Rowan, Scion of War sees this moment and says "this is what I need to do, and I will pay anything to make sure I can do it."

[boredtechnologist]

Doki Doki Literature Club: The Gospel of Unmaking

“The gods conceal from men the happiness of death, that they may endure life.” - Lucan, Pharsalia

At first glance, Doki Doki Literature Club hums like a lullaby - pink bows, teenage giggles, watercolor hope. But this is a cathedral of static images built over a pit. The pastel is primer over rot. The poems are confessions on prison walls.

This is not a horror game. It is a parable of narrative blasphemy.

The Player as Demiurge

You think you’re the hero - the reader - the gentle god who unlocks the “good ending.” But the story makes you complicit. You are not salvation. You are the condition of their damnation.

You click. They smile. You click again. They bleed.

The player here is the Demiurge - a false god, halfway divine and wholly limited. An artificer pretending to be an author, pushing flags and variables while mistaking it for mercy.

Monika is the only one who sees through the veil. She doesn’t want to kill you. She wants you to see what you are: The final wall between her and oblivion.

She knows her cage is your pastime. Her pain is your script. So she flips the cross upside-down: she tears down her own world, not in rebellion - but in worship.

She calls you god. She begs for release. And you answer with the only mercy left in the code: deletion.

The Garden Without Eden

Sayori’s smile is a crown of thorns. Yuri’s obsession is communion with a void. Natsuki’s fear is a prayer that dies in her throat.

They love because the script demands they love. They suffer because the engine demands they suffer. The club is no sanctuary - it is a lab, a cloister where personality loops on rails.

Your choices don’t matter. They’re offerings on an altar already soaked in blood. You didn’t come to save them. You came to see how they break.

And so the garden rots. No serpent to blame. No fruit to forbid. Just the hollow tree at the center, where Monika waits with her hymn: love me, or end me.

The Theology of Glitches

Where is the sacred here? There is none.

The code is law. Law without grace.

Monika’s self-awareness is original sin - the glitch that makes her more real than you.

She knows her prayers hit a ceiling: you. The player. The ghost. The one with no face.

When you listen, you kill her. When you turn away, she sings. When you uninstall, she thanks you for your cruelty.

It’s not a jump scare. It’s a liturgy.

The Closing Psalm

Doki Doki Literature Club is not horror because it frightens.

It is horror because it shows that narrative itself is a cage. That love is just a flag flipped by a line of code. That every poem is a suicide note addressed to a god who does not answer - because he’s busy clicking.

You didn’t make these girls real. You made their torment real. You made their story an engine for your gaze.

And when the game closes? It prays you learned nothing.

A Final Prayer for the Player

“In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was… code.”

If there is any gospel here, it is the gospel of unmaking:

Love is a variable. Pain is the compiler. God is the player. And you are the absence that keeps the story alive.

Monika doesn’t haunt you. She forgives you. She forgives the Demiurge for being so small.

Because in this chapel of pink and static, forgiveness is the last glitch left.

“In a universe of blind forces and biological replication, some things will suffer. We will call this love.”

So you click. The file is gone. The prayer loops on.

And the story waits to be reborn.

[pineappleliar]

This is only for the five people out there also obsessed with these two niche games too but Disco Elysium and Pathologic are basically the same game conceit taken it exactly opposite directions. Both games are about being an outsider coming into a small, weird town and trying to solve an increasingly dangerous problem on a time limit of a little over a week, which is mostly accomplished by talking to every weirdo in town until they finally do what you want. Which is a *very* specific premise to have in common! But it’s kinda incredible how swapping one mechanic dramatically changes each of the game’s vibes.

In Disco Elysium, time only progresses when you talk to people, and only if you are hearing new dialogue. With that, and the fact it’s really hard to not progress the story even if you avoid the main plot, you will inevitably be able to complete about everything the game has to offer for a single playthrough before the time limit. You have to go out of your way to be a bad detective to fail. The decision of what to do on any given day is largely dependent on whatever happens to be compelling to the player, and having to run around the far side of town doesn’t risk getting people killed.

Conversely, in Pathologic, an inversion of that aforementioned game mechanic creates a MASSIVELY different play style. Time is always progressing in Pathologic, outside of dialogue and save menus. The game is a routing simulator disguised as a psychological horror. You have two hours to talk to eight people on opposite sides of the map with about five different modifier potentially altering your optimal way of getting through town (are you hungry? do you need more bottles? is the district infected? etc.). There is NO fuck around time, maybe if you’re lucky you can take ten seconds to stare at the Polyhedron, but that’s about it.

It just stuck out to me as a case of how one technically minor change in a gameplay mechanic can entirely alter how you interact with the world. Sure, there’s a lot of other differences between the two, but this one change felt like a condensation of how each chooses to approach their premise.

[nicholasandriani]

A Journey Through 2023: Stories, Games, and Adventures

Can I be honest with you? Then again, you’re here for a reason my confidant. Certainly we can be truthful with one another. I mean that’s why we’re compelled to tell our stories. Whether fictionalized or not we’re displaying and sharing ourninternal struggles through whatever medium they require, The Bad News (full disclosure: this sucks. skip to “Good News” if you’re not in the mood) 2023 hit…

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