This comes down to individual experience – as is so often the case when discussing narrative experiences. It either detaches us slightly, limiting the player from connecting with the protagonist, or it leaves space for the player to project him or herself more into the character of Kid. Even though we learn partly about his past, the lack of an actual name may achieve one of two things. The protagonist’s name is merely Kid, and so he remains a bit of a mystery. However the developers, Supergiant Games, have gone to certain lengths to ensure that the emphasis is not on the characters alone. Usually in this type of game I would expect particular emphasis on the characters and their journey together. But also explores the world, how the Calamity came about, and what may be done to fix it. It explores Kid and the people he meets, such as Ruck, Zulf, and Zia. Bastion , I would argue, hangs in the balance between the two. That is a simplified version, but covers the basics. Is the world in place simply as a backdrop for your characters journey? Then this is a game about the characters. Video game narratives tend to focus on either characters or the world. And Bastion does explore narrative interestingly. Let us first touch upon a central point this classic narrative structure, and the use of the hero’s journey, works excellently as a foundation for interesting narrative exploration. The dramatic arc can be seen below: Model 1 The main character Kid wakes up in a much changed world, discovers what has gone wrong, and takes it upon himself to rectify it. It is essentially a hero’s journey that follows the five-act dramatic structure. In terms of the game’s narrative structure, we are dealing with a typical piece of video game storytelling. The following may contain minor spoilers. Significant not just for your character, but for the entire world of the game. Many simple choices concerning your preference of weapon – call it play-style flavour – and a couple of major choices. That choice can be significant and life changing, or simply on what type of filling you would like in your sandwich today. Sometimes in life you are given a choice.

Zia let's play playing spooky games