Tag: art

Drawn to Life – Where Scribbles Can Save The World:

Posted on by in Gaming

A profound belief of mine is that anyone can be good at anything if they put their mind to it. Growing up, I was never “gifted” at art. Neither my sister nor I were considered “artsy”, mostly sticking to crafting birthday cards or building little models out of wood and glue (much to my mum’s chagrin). At school, I was pushed away from the arts – something that I fought against, keeping my love for drama going strong and discovering the joys of backstage work. However, I lost my love for art. I dropped art at the end of Year 8, not returning to it until the end of my first year of university due to that innate fear that I wasn’t good enough to even try.

The fact I lost something that brought me so much joy for so long, is an experience that I hope no-one else will go through. It is this attitude to “not naturally born artists”, that can crush so many people’s dreams and deprive the world of the unique beauty that they would bring to it. Therefore, I think games like the Drawn to Life series, can be crucial in inspiring the future generation. For those who have never heard of these games, it’s a bit hard to explain but I think there’s a mechanic in it for everyone. The games were developed by 5th Cell, the team behind the Scribblenauts series, for the Nintendo DS. It’s sequel – known as Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter, was released in two editions for the Nintendo Wii and the DS, each version telling a different story.

If you hadn’t guessed by the title of the games, this series involves drawing. In both games, you take on the role of the “Creator” – the god-like entity that watches over the world and cares for its residents. The citizens of the world, known as the Raposa, are humanoid creatures crossed with rabbits? It’s a bit hard to tell but they have cute ears. When you load the game up for the first time, you hear the story of how the world was created, how you created the Book of Life, which contained all the designs for your creations. The game gets you to draw forests, the world and even the people themselves. Then you hear Mari, a young Raposa, begging you for help. The darkness has almost consumed the entire village and you are their last hope.

If you don’t want to help these little cuties, then you suck 😛

The remaining villagers gather in the broken-down Creation Hall and you, the Creator, bring life to the old mannequin sat in the corner, providing them with a hero to combat the darkness and its source – Wilfre. Wilfre used to be a member of the village until he tried to make his own creations instead of just waiting on the Creator. When those creations turned into shadow monsters, he fled the village and tore the Book of Life into shreds, scattering its pages to the wind and condemning the village to eternal darkness. He is the antagonist in both games in the series, though his character gets a lot more development in the sequel.

The games are split in half, the first half being the various story elements, character interactions and drawing sequences required of you to push the plot forward. The other half is a platforming game where you fight off basic enemies, collect the various collectibles and retrieve whatever item/page from the Book of Life you were sent in there to retrieve. At the end of each “world” is a boss that forces you to combine all the skills you’ve learned in that world in order to defeat it. Once you finish one world, you move onto the next. Pretty standard stuff. However, it is the personality of the villagers you save and the world you help create, that you grow so attached to.

Nearly everything in the game, from the hero to the town’s buildings, to the very platforms you use to explore the levels, is hand-drawn by you. Sure, there’s the occasional template out there for you if you aren’t in the mood to draw but the game actively encourages you to put your own twist on the world. Either that or they ran out of budget to pay the artists. I speak from experience; you don’t need the drawings to be “high quality” in order to enjoy the game. Though, I do burst out laughing every time I see my original platform design – I accidentally hit the wrong button so all that got submitted was a red dot! It made me smile so I decided to keep it and carry on with the game, much to my chagrin later when the platforming sections became more complex. After all, it’s rather difficult to jump to a platform you can’t see…

This is my child Heather if you hurt her I WILL FIND YOU

I think part of why the Drawn to Life series has such a profound influence on my love of drawing, is the fact that it accepts literally anything you give it. Whether the hero you provide the game with is just a blob or something more… explicit (looking at you Game Grumps), they go along with it and are just as willing to enlist your assistance to save their world. No matter how ridiculous or sloppy you think it looks, to the characters in the world, it is the most beautiful creation they have ever seen. They are nothing but grateful, which is a really refreshing perspective, especially for young artists that are just starting out.

As much as I prefer the charm and mechanics of the first game, the sequel’s story is what speaks to me the most about this series. Throughout the game, there are constant hints towards a greater meaning to all this, with a mysterious voice asking you about “that night”. They get you to draw what you think you remember about it, occasionally coming back to it in between your various doodling adventures. Wilfre, the bad guy from the original game, claims to be acting for the greater good, saying that if his plan doesn’t succeed then the whole world will be destroyed. He kidnaps Heather – a young Raposa with darkness covering half her face, that you rescued in the first game. So, the Raposa set out to rescue her and defeat Wilfre once again.

Considering his behavior in the first game, no-one believes Wilfre’s “saving the world” claim but soon Mari, the now-mayor of the community, disappears. You see her rip the Book of Life to shreds and Wilfre, disguised as your friend “Sock” (totally not suspicious name there Wilfre), throws the pendant given to you by Heather into the ocean which was your only way of tracking her down. Eventually, you make your way to Wilfre’s lair where Mari confronts you all and explains why she has been working with him to drain the colour from the world. She talks about what she’s seen and how if they don’t act, they’ll all be wiped out. When Mike, a member of your community who looks creepily human in comparison to everyone else, speaks up, Mari screams at him about how he won’t ever understand. You then challenge Wilfre and once you defeat him, you must extinguish the “Eternal Flame” and allow the world you’ve spent so long saving, to fade into darkness. It’s a drastic change from the goofy adventures around the world on a giant sea turtle.

I’m not ashamed to admit that this ending sequence made me very emotional.

In a series of images, you watch a human family visit the carnival and drive home in the dark. The two children in the back of the car are a young girl and her smaller brother, whose parents are killed when the car crashes into a ditch. The young girl’s face is badly injured, resulting in half her face being heavily bandaged. Meanwhile, the little boy is put in a coma. These two children are Heather and Mike. The entire world of the Raposa is an invention of Mike’s mind, keeping him trapped in the coma. The darkness from the first game potentially hints at his struggle to survive his injuries, whilst the colour draining from the world in the second game shows that the more he wakes up, the more the vivid the world he created will become – hence Wilfre draining the colour to prevent it.

This ending was considered too dark for many people and was replaced with Mike falling out of a tree in other releases of the game, however, I think any other ending wouldn’t have such a poignant impact on the player. Throughout the game, you hear someone talking but they don’t seem to make any sense. However, as the Eternal Flame goes out and the world fades, those words become the phrase:

“God… Just bring back my little brother to me.”

I honestly didn’t expect such a deep and profound storyline from such a goofy little game series but I’m so glad I gave these games a chance. We’ve all lost someone, whether it be to illness, time or distance. Speaking from experience, the feeling of sheer hopelessness that comes from watching a loved one in pain is horrific. I can only imagine the pain Heather must have been in, each minute that her baby brother lay in that hospital bed. As much as the Drawn to Life series are kids’ games, they convey much deeper messages and encourage creative expression more than a lot of more “mature” game series.

Now, I’ve rambled on long enough. Hope everyone has a good week and remember to like, comment and follow the site to keep up to date with all my posts. If you want to chat with me about more general things, hit up my twitter – @OurMindGames !

Thanks,

CaitlinRC

Octopath Traveller: A Kraken Good Time

Posted on by in Gaming

Opening a game and immediately being told to choose between eight characters, is a tad daunting, to say the least. However, I am a sucker for story-driven RPG’s so I didn’t let it put me off and threw myself into the game, starting with H’aanit – because I saw she had a snow leopard as her best friend and I wanted in on that immediately. When you choose a character at the beginning, you are given a basic description of their personality, abilities and where their story is going to go. The eight you must choose from are:

  1. H’aanit: A hunter, who can tame beasts to help in your quest and is loyal to the balance of nature. Has a pet snow leopard and is phenomenal with a bow. A good starting character for anyone unsure of where to begin with this behemoth of a game.
  • Alfyn Greengrass: An apothecary, who travels the land providing care and treatment to anyone who needs it. Can be extremely powerful if you learn how to mix ingredients properly, but difficult to master.
  • Primrose Alezhard: Her story line is not for the fainthearted. After witnessing her father’s murder at a young age, she grew up as an exotic dancer, trying to survive and searching for her father’s killers. Proficient with a dagger and able to buff her teammates during battle, she is not to be overlooked.
  • Cyrus Albright: He is a scholar, with ridiculously powerful magic attacks that can affect multiple enemies at once. I’d recommend making him a staple in your party, especially if you’re out grinding levels for a weaker party member. Word of warning though, he’s a bit of an idiot, which can cause you to cringe in response to his actions.
  • Ophilia Clement: The best darn healer in the game. You want her in your party, always. ALWAYS. She is a kind, sweet girl who deserves the world and I will MURDER ANYONE WHO HURTS HER. Anyways. She can also inspire NPC’s to fight by her side, giving you that extra edge in battle.
  • Tressa Colozone: A merchant, whose appeal doesn’t seem majorly obvious at first. Her storyline is about discovering herself and improving her “merchant skills”, which isn’t that interesting but her ability to pick up endless amounts of loose change from the ground is essential for being able to afford those shiny new swords.
  • Olberic Eisenberg: A knight, who can probably beat you to death with his little finger if he wanted to. He is a very honourable man, seeking the truth behind his friend’s betrayal of the king they served. A tad cliché but you can’t help but like him, he’s a good man and one of the heaviest hitters in the game.
  • Therion: A thief, with the ability to steal anything off anyone (if the percentage gods are in your favour), and after a failed robbery, ends up on a mission to retrieve some valuable artefacts and track down his childhood friend. Not the best fighter but stealing is fun, right? Right?
H’aanit or Olberic are good starting characters, as they have a strong enough attack power on their own. Once you have one of them, go get Ophilia because lord knows you’ll need a good healer.

Whoever you choose to start the game with, is locked into your party until you complete their storyline. However, you can still meet every other character and experience their stories, coming back to your main character’s tale when you think you are ready for it. Like most RPG’s, you can have four character’s in your party at a time, meaning you can’t have all eight of the adventurer’s at once and encourages you to switch out your companions to suit the situation you are facing. You can switch characters at an inn, which are present in every single town you come across – so you don’t have to run across the entire world every time you want Ophilia in your party. The only restrictions on who you can have in your party, is the character you chose to start with and the character whose storyline you are attempting to follow (because you can’t really follow Therion’s story if he isn’t there)

Octopath Traveller is a game more suited for handheld systems like the Switch. Not because it is a short game, but because like any RPG, you can get a bit fed up of it if you play for too long at a time. Boss fights can take half an hour, so being able to work your way through a dungeon to a boss, then take a break and come back to kick its butt, is quite relaxing. Save points are frequent, normally right after you complete a section and are always present right before a big fight, so you don’t need to trek all the way back if the boss pounds you into a bloody pulp.

The first thing people will notice about Octopath, is that it is a beautiful game. Developed in a 2D-HD style, the world is mesmerising. Every place you go to is unique, no location looks like a replica of another, even dungeons can range from mansions to caves, to sewers and abandoned ruins. The sprites of your characters are expressive and a joy to watch, especially when executing new moves in combat. However, the best art in the game must go to the bosses. Typically, the enemy sprites are small, around your size or slightly bigger, depending on the monster. However, bosses, have gigantic unique sprites that are incredibly detailed and stun you for a moment when you first enter battle with them.

Who doesn’t want to attack a giant demon bird thing.

The soundtrack of a game often makes or breaks an experience. After all, a game can be as stunning and interesting as you want, but if the music is abrasive and irritating, you won’t want to play it as much. Trust me when I say, the game’s music doesn’t disappoint. Every location and character has their own unique theme. Tense cutscenes have dramatic music playing underneath it, sadder scenes make use of piano chords to tug at your heart strings whilst boss fights inspire you with kickass tunes (even when you are getting beaten to a pulp).

It’s hard to put into words how much I love Octopath, even though it’s story can be a bit weak in places (looking at you Tressa and Therion). A lot of people’s criticism of it, is that the stories are quite separate from one another. Excluding the “secret final dungeon” after you beat all eight stories and some specific side quests, there is very little linking the characters together. However, for me, this makes sense. We are all living our own stories, walking our own paths. Sure, I may be sat in the same coffee shop as about ten different people as I write this, but it doesn’t mean our journeys through life are intertwined in any way.

I think if all eight characters were linked together by the story, the game would lose its impact. By having four chapters focused entirely around a character, you get to understand them on a deeper level. Having so many playable characters means that the amount of attention you can give each one, is limited. So being able to break the story down and follow one person’s tale at a time, results in good character writing and storytelling, rather than reducing some of your party members to boring, rushed NPC’s with a brief backstory.

H’aanit speaks in a very Old English style, which takes some getting used to but LOOK AT THE KITTY.

More than anything, Octopath is about travelling. Shocking, I know. No matter who you are playing as, you get to experience the world built by Square Enix with little concern for accidentally coming across story spoilers. The game lets you know the rough level requirement for an area, so you don’t walk into a level thirty forest when you are still only level twelve (totally not talking from experience). There’s something calming and fulfilling about Octopath. From the little interactions between your party members, to getting to know every NPC you come across, to exploring the lush landscapes and fighting everything you come across, this game is incredibly detailed and a lot deeper than most people expect.

A big example of this, is the combat. Like most RPG’s it is turn based, where depending on your character’s speed, each party member can make an action each turn (or several depending on your perks, thank god for H’aanit being able to attack twice). Enemies have a certain defence level that can be broken by attacking them using weapons/magic that they are weak against. Once their defence is broken, they are stunned, will not attack you for a turn and take greater damage from your attacks. All generic enemies have set weaknesses, that once discovered, will appear next to them in future encounters – so you don’t have to recall every single enemies’ weakness. Bosses, can change their weaknesses mid-fight, so be prepared to switch up your attacks and have a good range within your party, otherwise you might be wiped across the floor.

In summary, Octopath is probably one of my favourite RPG’s I’ve ever played. From the intricate combat system that forces you to think ahead and strategize, to the beautiful art style and haunting music, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with these characters and have sunk over a hundred hours into it, from the main storyline, to levelling up my weaker party members, to completing side quests and stealing everything I can (sorry not sorry). If you like RPG’s and want one you can really sink your teeth into, I cannot recommend it enough.

What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine.

What games do you recommend I try out? Which ones keep you up at night? Let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll write my next article on them! I’m currently thinking childhood nostalgia in the form of a certain puzzle solving gentleman. Remember to comment below and subscribe to my site so you get notified whenever I post a new article! If you want to keep up to date on what’s going on, follow me on Twitter @OurMindGames .

Until next time,

CaitlinRC.