Epilogue Gaming: Video Games as Art, Literature and a Storytelling Medium
The third episode of Life is Strange 2 was the make-or-break episode for this struggling spiritual sequel to one of my favorite games of all time. After playing “Wastelands,” I can say that I’m...
This week in the Epilogue Gaming Discord server, a series of opinions exploded around a central theme: should a game’s price affect the way it is reviewed? It began with a discussion of Joseph...
It is Flora Eloise’s recommendation that you listen to In Love With a Ghost’s “Heart of the Woods” while reading this review. I picked up Heart of the Woods expecting a simplistic, happy-go-lucky dating...
This past weekend, after 27 hours in the game, I made the decision to stop streaming Hollow Knight. This was an emotional decision to make, because Hollow Knight is such a masterfully crafted piece...
Owlboy is one of the most visually charming and beautifully crafted video games that I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Every pixel in this retro-style 2D platformer bursts with exuberance. From the meek...
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the most perfectly polished experience I have ever played. Every single aspect of this experience challenged me to be better, and I learned a lot...
Everything is connected to everything else. Life is a fluid series of reinventing and shifting perspectives. Some video games capture this message in linear, narrative ways. Other games abstractly demonstrate this schema to us,...
In this month’s episode of LudonarrativeFM, Preston and Blake journey through the many joyful kingdoms in Super Mario Odyssey (2017). This bouncy and boisterous 3D platformer boasts a bunch of boundless fun and movement...
Question: Why are we continuing to see unfinished, unpolished games as we move into what seems to be the umpteenth year of this growing trend? Ben: This is a frustrating trend that probably won’t end...
My first job was dishwashing in a pretentious restaurant that prided itself on its kitchen being run by a victor from the television show “Top Chef.” This was my introduction to both the restaurant...
Question: Does a strong narrative exempt a game from issues in its gameplay? In terms of difficulty, lack of engagement, or simply poor game design, is such a narrative enough motivation to push through...
The original Life is Strange left an indelible impact on me and strengthened my conviction that videogames are perhaps the most powerful storytelling medium. Naturally, I’ve been jitteringly anticipating the sequel: Life is Strange...
Wandersong is a refreshingly optimistic tale of a humble bard who is tasked with saving the world, and was one of the best indie games of 2018. The game is both narratively and mechanically...
Question: If you had to highlight the single best moment you had in a 2018 game, what would it be? What made that moment so special? Marcos: Honorable Mention: Getting revenge for Cayde-6 in...
Question: 2018 has been a flourishing year for video games. What do you consider to be the absolute best games of 2018? What makes your number one game special? Marcos: 5. Kirby Star Allies...
Question: Why would anyone believe that games are not art? What is some of the value in or purpose of labeling games as an art form? Blake: I think the reason games are easily...
I began my first playthrough of The Stanley Parable by not following directions. The game’s narrator guides you along through the opening gambit of the level until you are met with two doors. Each...
Question: What role do side characters have in games? Specifically companion characters, not just NPCs. How do character companions influence the story, drive the narrative, and affect the gameplay? Ben: Companions, and the way...
With the abysmal reception to Bethesda’s recent release, Fallout 76, many gamers including myself found themselves in a state of utter disappointment. Though the company has taken repeated criticisms for buggy games, an outdated...
One Hand Clapping combines unexpected gameplay mechanics, lore, and surprisingly silent storytelling. The premise is generally a mystery. You are dropped into a world swirling with atmosphere and intrigue, something deeply reminiscent of how...
This past month, I embarked on a journey unlike any other: a blind first playthrough of Chrono Trigger. I had no expectations, no context, and no experience with this game – but I had...
It’s easy to accuse narratively driven games of “walking simulator” status, meaning that a game lacks true challenge or “play” in the traditional sense. What Remains of Edith Finch has faced that criticism due...
Prequels tend to serve as a foot in the mouth of a storyline that we already know the conclusion to. I nervously expected our time with Chloe Price and Rachel Amber to reveal too...
When my friend Dakota gifted me a copy of Night in the Woods, I had no idea I was stepping into the best game I’ve played all year. The deceptively cartoony sidescrolling adventure...
As we discussed in July’s episode of our LudonarrativeFM podcast, Pony Island is a metacognitive game that subverts our storytelling expectations. We left a thread dangling in this discussion that, in editing the episode...
Unlike most mobile games I’ve played, ‘Florence’ tells its story in subtle and clever ways, indicating that the developers tried to tell this story exclusively for mobile players. Many games often feel patched in,...
Growing up without a dad, you start to imagine all the possibilities of what he’d be like. Is he heroic or cowardly? Is he a man of great accomplishment or a miserable alcoholic? This...
“…c’est peut-être ça la vie: beaucoup de désespoir mais aussi quelques moments de beauté où le temps n’est plus le même. C’est comme si les notes de musique faisaient un genre de parenthèses dans...
Video games still largely marginalize the identities of people with disabilities, leaving the conversation about disability and ludonarrative rather silent. This deep-seated sociocultural callousness toward disability has been demonstrated to be uprooted by exposure...
Playdead’s Inside is often considered in terms of its role as a puzzle-platformer, as art, and for its minimalist storytelling. These three laudable elements of the game intertwine themselves into a unique and unforgettable...
People condemn Beyond: Two Souls for superficial reasons that take the storytelling for granted and focus on the controls. Sure, the controls don’t demand much from the player, and cutscenes – rather than player...
The adorable dating sim Doki Doki Literature Club might be the perfect embodiment of what we here at Epilogue try to highlight and analyze: video games as art, literature, and a storytelling medium. It’s...
Quantic Dream unveiled a demo of the long-awaited Detroit: Become Human this week. And it is fantastic. August 15th, 2038. Detroit. The game’s aesthetic heavily borrows from the developing company’s previous title, Heavy Rain....
This month’s edition of the “Games You Forgot About” series breaks the mold. Most of the games in this series are old, dusty, lost games that deserve a fresh pair of eyes. But, with...
Split screen gameplay is nothing new, but it doesn’t take a reinvention of the wheel to innovate in the realm of video games. Josef Fares’ second game, A Way Out, blends a compelling narrative...
Video games have taken repeated beatings by the news media for ostensibly causing violence and morbid psychological behavior. The easiest target in this (misled) conversation is the presumably mindless genre of first-person shooters. As...
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is an idiosyncratic video game – almost to a fault. This genre bending game knows exactly what it is: a trial in patience, suspense, and frustration. Frustration is...
Kinetica is a racing game that was forgotten about nearly as soon as it was released in 2001. It was buried in the market by giant industry racers like Gran Turismo 3: A Spec...
Video games have a way of sticking with people for years at a time, sometimes decades. The 2005 Team ICO Shadow of the Colossus release is one of those games that just never disappears...
As established in my previous essay for Epilogue, most of the critical discussion surrounding Life is Strange (2015) severely misses the point. I articulated a ludonarrative defense of the game, arguing that Life is...
A common critique of the choice-based, point-and-click, episodic genre of games that Telltale Games have popularized is that choices don’t matter and gameplay is tedious. Life is Strange, though adhering to this genre, defies...
