S1: Constant Companion

...but the friendships we made along the way (to Helheim)

God of War, Released 2018, Developed by Santa Monica Studio, available on PlayStation (on sale now) and PC

Note: This post has been percolating in my head for a year and covers a lot of ground. I also played this game - all about fatherhood - weeks before I became a father. It meant a lot to me. I intend for the typical post to be more succinct.

The game begins quietly with a funeral. You play as Kratos, who wants to honor his dead wife’s request to spread her ashes on the highest peak in the nine realms. He must do so accompanied by his young son Atreus, who is approximately eleven years old. Atreus is untested and impetuous. A liability in a mythical realm filled with danger.

This request, simple as it may seem, sends Kratos and Atreus throughout the realms of Norse mythology, complete with Homeric tangents, foes, friends, and friends turned foe. God of War is an incredibly violent game filled with short, brutal bouts with packs of mythological creatures, all bolstered by fantastic magic. Aside from all of these buzzwords that would delight a Hollywood boardroom being pitched the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the best thing about this game is the young boy who never leaves your side.

It is humble, makes so much sense, and is audacious when compared to so many other games.

Narrative is the big push in the game industry, because it is the ideal motivating adhesive between play experiences. The key is not the big plot twist - that’s standard water cooler fare. It is about relatable characters, relationships, and personal stakes, for this is what drives the dialog, fan art, and cosplay. This is what makes us care.

There are fantastical moments in every second of God of War. But, witnessing the frustrations of a father trying to raise a child, observing the grief of two people, and seeing (and feeling) the pride of two people’s successes, all felt absurdly normal. None of that works if God of War settled for the more typical narrative mechanisms employed by other games. It all falls short if it is centered around anything but a relationship that is constantly in front of you.

We should discuss a few of these narrative mechanisms used in other games.

Detective Method: The player finds recordings and notes as they traverse the environment. Most famously you see this in Bioshock. As you explore the sunken city of Rapture, you find audio recordings that provide insights into the characters involved in the city’s downfall and the tragedies that unfold.

As a designer tool, recordings are valuable. You do not need a complex justification for why an actual character is waiting to tell you something in a particular hallway. It’s like reading a household note left on a friend’s apartment door, not a full scene.

Unfortunately, you rarely see the characters who made the recordings, and oftentimes the recorded contents only serve to complement, not advance the narrative. Texture is important, but this methodology limits their value, as it is risky to reveal a critical twist that the player may never find.

These recordings or notes can also disrupt the pacing of an experience. If your player is listening to audio, you don’t want them focused on other video game activities, like shooting, exploring, and solving. But, in an interactive medium, exposition dumps can be exhausting. Regular recordings can cause a jarring on again / off again feeling.

Voice In My Head Method: This is when a remote character, like the artificial intelligence Cortana in Halo, speaks to you as you go about your business. It’s the video game version of receiving a phone call while driving. You rarely meet these speakers, and when you do, it is almost exclusively in a cut scene. They aren’t interactive or part of your journey.

More often than not, these distant speakers represent an audio to-do list more than a well-rounded character. As a result, these characters often feel annoying, which is a fine emotion to feel when you want it to be the emotion a player feels. I think it’s risky to associate a speaking role character, one who is most present in the game, with a blinking button telling me I have unread emails.

Talk It Out Method: Extroverts can indulge in constant conversation in games like Mass Effect or 13 Sentinels. The former provides a wide range of agency in terms of steering the conversation. The latter is much more restrictive as you’re following prompts. Some games use dialog exclusively to make purchases in game or collect quests. Instead of clicking a button to open a store (to buy food, weapons, and other in-game items) you approach a character standing in front of a market stall to see their wares.

Typically, the characters with whom you converse stand and wait in a hub environment to respond to you, react to you, and entertain you. They are an exquisitely detailed 3D Alexa, waiting for your input.

The methods listed above often fall into the same traps: Characters serving a mechanical support role, not a narrative one. Characters not involved in or sharing the actions of the player. Characters lacking depth, or failing to be characters at all, as they merely serve a single purpose in a clearly coded construct.

Put most simply, all of them are static. None of them are responsive to a player’s actions, which feels bleak in an interactive medium.

In God of War, Atreus fulfills the purpose of these methods, while avoiding their shortcomings. He aids you in combat, assists in solving puzzles, and helps surmount environmental obstacles. He might remind you of tasks, but he does so conversationally. He asks questions as a character, not a reactive vessel. The writers can always count on his presence, which means he can add complementary texture and critical plot elements. I don’t drown in exposition because Atreus and Kratos will discuss the events in simple, relatable, human language.

I fear too many games would struggle in an Intro to Writing workshop.

• Most games focus on a premise, setting, or theme, not characters. Every time I think I’m going to participate in National Novel Writing Month, I realize I have a “cool idea” but I don’t have a story.

• The stakes for so many games are so big that they fail to connect. Yeah yeah, I get it, the world is ending. What’s new?

• A good story needs conflict. Too many games settle for “those guys over there want to kill you.” Conflict is best when it’s personal.

• Too few games feature personal growth, in which characters must overcome obstacles they themselves have created. No, reaching the end of a skill tree doesn’t count.

• Games often only demonstrate dialog and relationships in pivotal, climatic moments. We don’t see normal moments to add weight to these key scenes.

Most games simply lack meaningful relationships! The strongest relationship in Bioshock is between the designer and Ayn Rand, neither of whom are characters in the game. A few times the villain monologues at you from behind a wall, but this feels shallow, like taking a ride on It’s a Small World in an age of interactive dinner theater and escape rooms.

The mythical Norse environment may be frigid and bleak, but it’s warm with relationships. In God of War, Kratos and Atreus talk as they explore the environment. Just normal stuff. The developers use the in-game shopkeepers not just to provide goods and services, but further explore our characters. You can see the boy’s curiosity getting the better of itself, similar to a child in the real world asking an awkward question of the clerk at the grocery store. Things do get awkward with the shopkeeper. It’s human and relatable and perfect.

I have a favorite example, though. While navigating the lake in a small canoe-like boat, stoic and silent Kratos is forced to converse with his curious son. He tells him stories, answers questions (the ever-present “but why?” of childhood), and just says typical dad things. Similar to those you’d hear if listening in on a tired father driving his son to practice in the minivan. Video games rarely have the discipline to have the player conduct a task as simple as merely paddling a boat. They don’t let you find collectibles, there is no combat, you just paddle, talk, and listen. It is an exceptional piece of narrative design.

Other media have known this for quite some time. George RR Martin and Frank Herbert invite us to intimate meals between family and walks without a major purpose. The best parts of Saving Private Ryan are not the dynamic combat scenes, but the soldiers quietly discussing their lives back home and telling stories. Video games are starting to recognize the value of quiet, simple moments.

The presence of a companion reveals the relationship beyond tense moments. It slowly builds the richness of the story like a sauce cooked low and slow for an entire day. It gives you opportunities to laugh, be annoyed (in a good way), and feel warmth. During the game’s final battle, Atreus performs magnificently. I felt sincere pride watching him in a way that hundreds of hours progressing in a role playing game never could. I basked in the richness of the sauce.

Let’s examine this finally in context of two other experiences, both of which prioritize personal relationships, but only one of which leverages a constant companion.

The Uncharted series has always added a layer or heart to its combat and exploration, but Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End really nails it. The protagonist, Nathan Drake, always has someone alongside him. It might be his mentor, Sully, his wife, Elena, or most importantly, his brother Sam. Each of them adds a new perspective, based on who they are and how they relate to Nathan, to the challenges faced, the victories and failures, and the past. Because they are always present to add quips, insightful comments, and big statements in pivotal scenes, the story connects in a wonderful manner.

Ghost of Tsushima boldly prioritizes the relationship between the protagonist’s very traditional uncle and his more flexible adopted son amidst the horrors of a Mongol invasion. They take a big swing that almost works. But, the story doesn’t meaningfully connect, because you mostly only witness your uncle acting like a petty, out of touch aristocrat. The game will have you do something bold and exciting, only to send your uncle in after the fact to critique you like a feudal Frasier Crane.

Had I been alongside him during the event, I might have felt the pull of his argument. Had he been there to comment on each action, there would have been opportunities to demonstrate alternatives and provide texture. I would have seen the conflict bubble in small ways, not just spilling out over the top.

Instead, uncle arrives on scene, preaches at me, and as a player, I resented his viewpoint. I resented his involvement. As a result, I never fully felt or appreciated the cut of the relationship failing.

The One Cool Thing

God of War gives us the Constant Companion with Atreus. He provides texture and context, small moments that enhance the big moments, and growth I can experience over the course of our journey. He is a real character, not a reminder, not a note, and not a walking menu button.

More games should focus on characters and interpersonal conflicts, which requires real relationships. It requires someone who never leaves your side.

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Preview for Next Time

If you want to play along, my next blog will be about Resident Evil Biohazard, aka Resident Evil 7. It is available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, and is usually on sale. My next blog will publish on January 28th and the game takes about 10 hours to complete. Take a deep breath and step into the spooky house.

Currently Playing

I just finished Moonlighter on the PlayStation, but you can play it on any platform - seriously. You explore dungeons at night (get it, moonlighting?), then bring the items you find in the dungeon to sell in your store...or use to craft better items. It is quirky with an old school vibe and severely discounted right now.

A sale? In this Economy?

Arkane Studios enjoyed a lot of attention this year - for good reason - due to Deathloop. But, I think it’s tragic how few people seem to have played an earlier game, Prey. The deluxe edition is only $12!

You explore a research space station that’s been taken over by a dynamic alien species that takes multiple shapes…including any item in the environment (the coffee cup might not be a coffee cup). The game really respects your play style and allows a great deal of freedom to solve each problem. The story doesn’t quite pay off, but the game is deeply engaging an is an absolute treat for people who love to explore a setting.

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Edited by Joshua Buergel