Uncategorized – Orczuk

Fighting games are an intimidating genre to get into, it’s like chess but your fingers need to be a hundred times more nimble and instead of one opponent you have to be ready for dozens. Yet as of last year, I’ve started playing them. I never really had much of an interest, as I’m fairly bad at them, and being mechanically proficient at a game is not something that interests me very much. So, I didn’t play fighting games much until I discovered the animated Mortal Kombat movies, which introduced me to the brutal setting and characters. It was a hook I didn’t know I needed. I ended up getting MK 11, played the story mode, and had a good time, however, since I’m not striving to get great at combat but just experience the story and characters, I shortly stepped away from it.

The game has an arcade mode that offers small ending rewards for each character, but because the story of the game is very meta-narrative, most character endings involve them becoming gods and shaping the universe in their image. This usually meant that all good characters had similar endings, and all bad characters had their own predictable conclusions. While it served as a reward, it didn’t offer much insight into the characters’ personalities or motivations, so I didn’t bother playing through all the endings. I tried multiple other fighting games with similar results. I’d quickly put them down before even trying out all the characters.

Then I found two games by the developer Soft Circle French-Bread that had me hooked for hours longer than any other: MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA and UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late. Both are beautifully animated pixel-art fighting games with very out-there stories that are kind of hard to follow but captivating enough to pull me in. I ended up beating the story mode and additional arcade modes in both games so I could learn more about the characters and settings. Afterward, I even started looking online for explanations of the lore to confirm my ideas about the characters and the world.

With this inspiration I want to explore how these games’ very simple narrative rewards kept me engaged, unlike the major fighting game titles.

Let’s first talk about the presentation. Games like Mortal Kombat and Tekken have very fancy production with fully animated 3D cutscenes, whereas games like MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA and UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late tell their stories through visual novel segments. Simple character cutouts talking to each other with voice acting layered on top. The production value is clearly better in the big games, but I think it also holds itself back because of it.

Since the cutscenes in 3D are more involved, the amount of story content they can include is limited. That leads to smaller, less frequent story beats. On the other hand, the visual novel style allows for small cutscenes between characters every few fights. This means that each character gets much more extended screen time, giving every character more time to shine. Seeing the different interactions between characters exposed me to different parts of that characters’ personalities which motivated me to try them across the story and arcade modes.

I understand that this method of storytelling isn’t for everyone. Visual novels require people to read for an extended period and it can become a chore. I personally won’t read visual novels unless they have some kind of active gameplay mechanic and voice acting to help along with the reading. Great examples of this are the 999 series and Professor Layton, where the player alternates between visual novel storytelling and puzzle-solving gameplay. I think that oscillation between active and passive gameplay works fantastically, and due to the lower production workload, it allows for more story content that the player can actively engage with.

In contrast to the name brand and recognition and familiarity of games like Mortal Kombat I had no idea what the games were about, who the characters were, or what the plot of the story was for MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA and UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late. Yet, even though it had a lower production value I’ve come to be interested in the world and character far more than that of its high budget counterparts. Putting in significantly more hours into these games because their extensive narrative kept me hooked.

I found it fascinating to piece together the relationships between characters based on their cutscenes. Realizing things like, “Oh, this character is that character’s sister,” or “This one is the arch-nemesis,” or “Oh, there are vampires in this world and a holy order fighting them, and it’s all happening in this small town in Japan.” Thanks to the visual novel style, each character gets to build a rapport with a few others, and the web of relationships builds in your head. Thanks to the amount of cutscenes that the game provisioned I got to see different sides of characters depending on who they were interacting with. This is in stark contrast where in MK or Tekken you’re most likely to see the protagonists’ relationship explored but very little for the side characters.

Now, due to alternative endings across the arcade mode, the overarching story isn’t always clear, but the world and characters are established strongly enough to make you want to learn more and keep you coming back even after you finished the story mode.

As I continue developing games, I want these narrative techniques alive in my games. Giving players a strong setting, characters and allowing them to experience those relationships over a longer time, even if it means sacrificing flashy presentation. I would be happy to play a few matches to see how Character A and Character B play off each other in a given story context. Each character has the potential to be someone’s favorite, let’s not waste that opportunity by sending them into a throng of meaningless matches without any payoff.

Modern big budget AAA games spend millions of dollars to feed your eyes the splendor of breathtaking visuals. However, all this effort becomes meaningless as players spend most of their time viewing these sights through a monochrome filter; exposing how empty and shallow the worlds the players are engaging truly are. Eagle Vision, Detective Mode, or whatever name a game may give it, was intended as an alternative gameplay mode to bring slow-paced deduction puzzles to the player. Instead, it has become a crutch that games use to enable interaction in mostly non responsive worlds, rather than naturally exploring and finding what you need, you will be sent on scavenger hunt and without these overlays you’d never find the specific rock, flower, or some miscellaneous item needed to progress the story forward.

Older games featured clear markers: circles indicating where to stand to start missions, letters, or icons floating in the game world to signify interactable objects. These visual cues formed a language that was immediately understandable. An agreement between the game and the player about what the player can and can’t do within the game’s bounds. Unfortunately as time marched forward the old visual language has often been dismissed as too “gamey” and immersion-breaking, relegating them to “arcadey” titles like Fortnite and leaving the “serious” games to speak to the player by giving them omission like power to see through walls.

Games like Horizon Zero Dawn and Mass Effect introduce in-world explanations, such as scanners or AI systems, to appease the immersion breaking action of becoming an all seeing being. Which also tends to involve slowing down the player movements and forcing the player to painstakingly examine every square inch of the environment to find the one object of importance. While some might argue this approach encourages players to appreciate the art, it often does the opposite, as the visual filter hides the details, signaling that they’re unimportant and shouldn’t be focused on. This system diminishes both the artistic and gameplay value it aims to enhance.

It also exposes the lack of interactivity in these vast worlds. Eagle Vision reveals the facade behind the pretty graphics: these aren’t worlds where every action has a meaningful reaction. They’re empty spaces filled with dark voids where the primary interactions are combat, looting, and reading lore entries. Players may explore these worlds but can they truly see them when spending most of their time searching for loot through a monochrome filter?

Contrast this with Loddonaut, a small indie game about an underwater ocean cleaner, which tackles a similar issue. While it’s not a one-to-one comparison, the game’s interactable objects are immediately identifiable due to their exaggerated size and stylized design. Floating plastic, metal, and glass litter the sea, while sludge covers the ocean floor. These objects stand out against the sandy seabed and colorful reefs.

In Loddonaut, you work to restore the seabed by transforming a dark, gray reef into a vibrant habitat for new fish. If you miss a piece of trash, the game doesn’t resort to a typical gray-out system to highlight objects. Instead, it offers a chargeable pulse that reveals object outlines in different colors based on the trash type. This system doesn’t obscure the game world, slow down movement, or force players into a special mode. It serves as a quick indicator of where to go, allowing players to seamlessly locate objectives that visually stand out against the environment.

This approach isn’t limited to lower-fidelity games. Journey to the Savage Planet is an AA game with visuals that rival AAA titles while maintaining the clarity of Loddonaut. It incorporates both an Eagle Vision and a ping system similar to Loddonaut’s. The game uses Eagle Vision sparingly, only to gain secondary information on newly encountered flora and fauna, without it having any significant part on player interaction with the world. This allows the game’s stellar art direction, which uses specific shapes, colors, and subtle sparkles to guide players’ attention as they explore the world. Built on top of that is the assistance of the pinging system, similar to that of Loddonaut where you send a signal and then see icons pointing the player in the direction of missed collectibles. You can easily traverse and interact with the world without relying on filters to guide your journey.

Both Loddonaut and Journey to the Savage Planet offer players a clear visual language that eliminates the need for tedious pixel hunting while preserving immersion. I understand the desire to make games more cinematic and realistic looking, however in pursuit of beauty we have lost the ability to see the world. Over-reliance on Eagle Vision-like systems undermines both gameplay and artistic intent. Games and players should communicate in the same visual language as the game culminating in a flow state of joy.

Category: Uncategorized

Fighting Games: Narrative Rewards

Game Vision