Thinking about a choice made by Yacht Club Games in Mina The Hollower
Spoilers
I would like to clarify that I found out about MtH through a youtuber I watch the day after it came out. I saw the style and decided to buy it for myself to play without watching anymore of the video (I stopped just after the kraken battle).
I had zero previous knowledge about this game and I didn't even read the manual.
I picked up immediately upon meeting him that Lionel was the central antagonist of the game. Which felt like an odd choice by ycg. Why would you make the character who's supposed to be a twist villain so obviously the villain, both in his design (his central color is the same as the character you're supposed to believe is the antagonist) and a hint so blatant as him controlling the newspaper?
I spent the game a bit exasperated by Mina trusting him and not asking for anymore details about what's going on. (Also her letting him brush off her concerns so easily during their conversations). But that's where the beauty and intention of this choice come it.
While the player knows Lionel is evil from the get go, picks up on hints along the way, and is ultimately unsurprised by his betrayal, Mina is left shocked and reeling. This not only showcases one of her listed character traits, naivety, but also says something about Mina and Lionel's relationship.
Mina has a history with Lionel. They worked together on the biggest project of her life. She knows him personally and considers him a dear friend. The player doesn't. The player doesn't know Lionel. They don't care about him personally, and therefore don't care about his betrayal. They have the safety of him acting suspicious from his introduction that lets them know to avoid getting attached to him.
So while the player notices all of Lionel's suspicious behaviors, Mina doesn't. Even after she begins to develop her own suspicions, she waits for the truth to be shoved in her face before taking action.
This suggests to me that Lionel initially was a good guy with good intentions. (Or, at least, he was better at pretending. Though, considering that Thorne seems to have trusted him, and he strikes me as a bit better about asking questions and not taking someone at face value, though this could be because by the events of the game he knows better, I'm not leaning towards that option).
All that to say, this one choice creates a history between Mina and Lionel that we don't get to see that has narrative consequences, which ultimately makes the world and characters feel more rich and realistic.
So. Good job Yacht Club Games!
