We all love RPGs. Why else would you be here? But what is it that makes them special? Is it the loads of grinding that takes place to mold you into a destructive force of nature? Or is it the fantastical adventures that you go on as you progress through the story? Or maybe, just maybe, is it about the attachment that you make with the characters as they develop? The attachment, that the player gets when playing an RPG, is the ultimate goal and can only be achieved by all part contributing coherently.
Combat is where you get to live out the power fantasy of the RPG, be this fantasy causing blood to burst from enemies’ bodies or wielding blades with such technical prowess no one can touch you. While combat is fun and is where you see your beloved character doing what they do best, it can sometimes drain your will to live if when you have to grind for hours upon hours to unlock a new skill only to find out the skill you want is on the tier level above that one and so the grind begins again.
A game that takes grinding to a whole other level is Tales of Xillia 2, in which you must at many points in the game stop your story progression to go and earn money to pay back your debt by doing slaughter fests or fetch quests, which almost seems like just an attempt to extend the longevity of the game. If that doesn't sound dull, you must also take into account what is really behind combat and that is numbers and numbers can be the most boring thing in the world unless the combat is flavored in a way that makes sense in the world you are in. Another way, to avoid the tedium, is to make the combat rewardingly challenging, so that the player is always engaged in the action instead of spamming buttons.
Another kind of unsatisfying story is when the plot is so overly convoluted that you need a guide just to realize your characters' name.
Just like every RPG has combat everyone has a story and some can be very engaging, but nothing is new under the sun. All stories, that could be written, have been written, but a character’s journey through that story can be what truly sticks with people. You can have an unlikeable self-entitled jerk like Luke fon Fabre (Tales of the Abyss) who develops into a less annoying guy who actually cares about people instead of just himself. That same enjoyable journey can sometimes leave you empty when in the end all that changes is the color of your explosion (Mass Effect). Another kind of unsatisfying story is when the plot is so overly convoluted that you need a guide just to realize your characters' name.
The games story never needs to be overly convoluted for example Lunar: Silver Star Story revolves around a young troublemaking boy who idolizes Dragon Master Dyne as he journeys to become a Dragon Master to save the one he loves, while this now comes across as cliché the way it is presented, the attachment you develop for Alex and Luna will suck you in and make you love the game. Whether the RPG is one where you create your own character or one with pre-built characters, most of the time you will end up forming parties with diverse individuals.
Whether these emotional bonds you build are of the romantic variety, spiteful hate, or unwavering friendship - they make you care, and if you don’t care is there any reason to play?
During the course of most RPGs, you will get to know these people as your character forms friendships with them, but so will you as the player. If properly done, the bonds you build with the other characters, will make you care what happens. For example, I was unable to play Final Fantasy 7 for a long time after Sephiroth impales Aeris (Aerith), but after finally being able to come back to the game I wanted revenge the same as Cloud. In other games like the Persona series, the bonds you make, give you tangible power as well as leading to many playthroughs. Whether these emotional bonds you build, are of the romantic variety, spiteful hate or unwavering friendship - they make you care, and if you don’t care is there any reason to play?
This is not to say that attachment is the only thing that matters, but it is the ultimate goal, and reaching that goal requires all parts of the game to work together. If the RPG’s combat is boring and a story is incoherent the player will not stick around long enough to get invested in the characters and, therefore, no attachment can be made. The point I am trying to make is that only when all the parts of the game function coherently will you have an audience that cares about your game leading to them wanting to always be a part of that world, be it through the writing of fan fiction, cosplay, and the purchase of possible sequels/next iteration in the series, as well as other memorabilia.
by Roger Wallace | |