![]() It’s a world with rich history, and this history stretches out before the player in two directions: ontologically, the side quests of the game offer tremendous insight into the ancient history of species and civilizations across the world metaphysically, the game’s main plot reveals how the world itself came into existence, and how the world functions as a closed system. The reasons why it’s enticing are pretty clear: it’s a great example of a massive overworld, with a lot of potential for exploration, and an epic-length plot to match. ![]() “Xenoblade” has become a modern classic in gaming, to the point where its main character, Shulk, has “earned a spot” in the latest iteration of the “Super Smash Bros.” series. This analysis will heavily focus on the end of the game - and, callous analyst that I am, I’m going to be using spoiler-worthy details all the time. “Xenoblade” thrives on twists and turns, and I promise you that the narrative is far more rewarding if you experience it for the first time by actually playing the game. I never felt the need to warn about spoilers in “Majora’s Mask” - partly because I’m a delightfully callous video game analyst, and partly because, as far as RPG’s go, the narrative of “Majora’s Mask” doesn’t really depend on sudden twists and turns. So today, “Xenoblade Chronicles” meets With a Terrible Fate.īefore proceeding with analysis, a disclaimer. Drawing from various parts of my analysis of “Majora’s Mask,” the paper models how the game creates a world whose coherence and narrative are functions of the player as a participant.īut it’s sometimes easier to teach by example. I wrote an academic paper about it, which you can check out here. If you want to read more about this, you’re in luck. This mode of literary criticism takes player agency as a crucial, central element to the stories of video games, and aims to uncover how different games architect worlds and stories in relation to that agency. If we want to be snarky about it, we can refer to the analytic mode I have in mind as ‘the Majoran critique’: ‘examination of the narratological architecture of a universe, the metaphysics of which reflect existential contingency on an agency exogenous of that universe.’ Put another way: we’ve seen that Termina very deeply depends on the player as a character in its story in order to exist. The major points I draw your attention to are best articulated in my works of line analysis on the first line and last line said by the Happy Mask Salesman in the game. You might reasonably wonder exactly where an enterprise named With a Terrible Fate could go beyond the analysis of “Majora’s Mask.” However, I believe that my analysis of the game over the last four months has, beyond examining the architecture of “Majora’s Mask” as a work of art, has provided the basis for a mode of general video game criticism. At the moment, however, I want to turn elsewhere, and give fans a sample of what is coming beyond “Majora’s Mask.” The clock counts down to the release of “Majora’s Mask 3D” on Friday, February 13th. Once, only a god could perform such a miracle. We are about to bear witness to the birth of a universe. Read on for the full text of the original article, which I wrote back in February of this year, and read on after the article for my critical review.įinding your Monad: Xenoblade and Leibniz. Today, on the eve of the North American and European releases of Xenoblade Chronicles X, I am offering the first such retrospective: a critical review of my analysis of Leibniz’s influence on Xenoblade Chronicles. One of the several things that I promised readers was that I would re-release some of my most popular analyses, with bonus commentary reflecting on the strengths, weaknesses, and reception of the piece. A Comprehensive Theory of Majora’s MaskĬritical Review is a series in which With a Terrible Fate’s video game analysts critically evaluate the work of themselves and other analysts, with the goal of advancing our collective understanding of video-game storytelling.Ī few weeks ago, I laid out With a Terrible Fate ‘s plans for celebrating its one-year anniversary.
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