RiME or Reason: On Narrative Perspective

Much like ThatGameCompany's Journey, RiME by Tequila Works puts the player in a particular state of mind. With a gorgeous visual style, mesmerizing sound design, and an intriguing, mysterious game world, RiME induces a relaxing, trance-like state in the player that too few games try, or are capable, of achieving.

I just love this type of game and I wish there were more of them.

But there was one aspect of the game that felt a little... off. Something was missing, and it was enough to keep me from feeling fully immersed in RiME's universe. The problem I had with RiME was that throughout the game, I had no idea who I was, where I was, or what I was doing there.

There's plenty else in the game to critique, but I don't want to pile on what was really a case of

overly-high expectations that put a lot of pressure on a small development team.

Instead, I just want to focus on that missing piece - that lack of contextual knowledge which kept me from appreciating, or even guessing at, the deeper meaning of my actions in the game.

I want to share some thoughts about the role of Narrative Perspective in games.

What is Narrative Perspective?

In writing and literature, Narrative Perspective is a term that refers to Point of View. Who is telling the story? Is it the main character referring to herself (1st Person)? An all-knowing narrator explaining the inner thoughts of multiple characters (3rd Person Omniscient)? Something else?

In this context, Narrative Perspective is about how the author chooses to tell the story to the reader. For the purpose of this post, I would like to use this term in a different way. I want to apply a meaning that is specific to games, not to the way the author is telling the story, but to the way the player experiences it.

I want to to use the term Narrative Perspective to describe how a few narrative cues can enhance a game's core experience by adding purpose and context to every action the player performs.

It's not so much about what the story is, or how it's told. Narrative Perspective in this context is about what's in the back of the player's mind as they're performing the primary actions of a game.

You may recall an earlier post where I proposed two terms, the Agent and the Actor, to describe different ways for a player to experience a player character.

Agent - A term for the Player Character (or avatar) as a governable entity within the space of the game's mechanics and game-play experience, irrespective of any contrived narrative structures or circumstances.

Actor - A term for the Player Character (or avatar) as a character within the space of the game's narrative, with considerations for the game's story-line and character relationships.

The term I want to coin here follows a similar vein. It is the way that the player views the game character and the game world. Here's a stab at a definition:

Narrative Perspective - The frame of reference players draw on to put the characters, world and events of the game into context with the player and the player character's motivations.

It's all about answering some basic questions: Who is the character? Where is the character? What is the character doing there?

Or, from the player's perspective: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here?

This is not to say that the player should always have perfect information about the nature of the game, character, or game world - uncovering mysteries is part of a good story after all.

Instead, Narrative Perspective is the crucial information that establishes a contextual foundation for a game's primary actions and mechanics. It just needs to be enough to give the player a clue as to why the player character is doing... whatever it is the player character is doing. Killing enemies? Solving puzzles? Searching for collectables? Whatever it is, the player needs some kind of context as to the meanings and motivations behind these actions in order for the narrative experience to feel complete.

Without Narrative Perspective, all the player can do is read the world as an Agent and not an Actor: What can I interact with? Where are the walls? What is my move set? Is that thing dangerous?

In this case, the game mechanics have to speak for themselves, and that's fine for games that do not rely on narrative (which, let's be honest, is most games). Game mechanics, of course, should be solid enough on their own so as not to rely on narrative elements in order to be fun (if fun is what the developers are going for), but a little bit of context goes a long way in adding depth and meaning to a game experience.

This is especially true for a game like RiME, one that is specifically trying to engender an emotional reaction in the player. Unfortunately, RiME didn't effectively establish Narrative Perspective, and the game experience suffered for it.

Before getting back into RiME, let's take a moment to look at similar game that utilizes Narrative Perspective in a more effective way.

Narrative Perspective in Papo and Yo

Papo and Yo by Minority Media Inc. actually has a lot in common with RiME. Aside from narrative themes (which I'll describe below when I spoil the crap out of both games), they are both atmospheric, 3rd-person puzzle-platformers starring child characters who solve puzzles with the help of nonhuman NPC allies.

The key difference that makes Papo and Yo more successful as a narrative experience was that it used Narrative Perspective to give context to the gameplay and imbue every moment with meaning.

How did they do this? It was simply a matter of establishing a few key pieces of information at the beginning of the game.

First, the game's title. The full title of the game is Papo and Yo: The Monster in my Father. Immediately, the game establishes that the story is about monsters, fathers, and how they can sometimes be one and the same.

Second, shortly after the launching a new game, the player sees this dedication:

The dedication reinforces what the player learns from the title, and ties the game into the real world. Apparently, this game is based on real experiences from someone's life.

Third, the player sees a short cinematic sequence. A young boy (Quico is his name) cowers in a closet as something big and scary lurks outside. Suddenly, a spiral appears on the closet wall, and starts to glow. Quico approaches it, and is transported to a different place.

At this point, the player has enough information to put the events of the game into context. The player can answer basic questions about the game's narrative without needing to know absolutely everything.

Who am I? - I am the boy from the cutscene.

Where am I? - I'm in my own imaginary world.

What am I doing here? - I'm trying to escape my trauma, and rationalize it through fantasy.

In just the first few seconds, Papo and Yo told me enough about the game's story, characters, and world for me to put everything into context. By establishing Narrative Perspective, I get a frame of reference that adds meaning to every moment of gameplay that comes after.

Hours of gameplay, puzzle after puzzle, and the plot and story stay largely the same. Go here, figure this out, move on to the next one, etc. No sudden reversals or side-stories here, just me and my monster and more puzzles.

But the Narrative Perspective the game established early on gives meaning to my actions in this environment. Even as my 's "Agent brain" is at work solving puzzles, my "Actor brain" is content. Why? Because I have an understanding as to the meaning of my actions, and I can use that knowledge to anticipate what might happen next.

Thanks to this context, when I look at the world of Papo and Yo, I don't just see a surreal environment. I see a world built by the player character's own subconscious. This gives me insight into Quico's life in the favelas of Brasil, and reminds me that children experience the world in a their own way. What's more, because I know this is all a dream, the world is free to bend and twist in impossible ways that will not affect my suspension of disbelief.

When I encounter characters in Papo and Yo, I have a frame of reference to put them into context. The robot toy, the mysterious girl, and the monster are more than just NPCs that help me solve puzzles. They are abstracted versions of Quico's favorite toy, sister, and father. My understanding of these relationships makes everything they say and do meaningful.

When the friendly monster turns into a raging beast, I don't just see it as a new gameplay challenge. I see it as a powerful metaphor for the double-injury of parental abuse. It's not just the rage of the attacker, but the loss of the loving protector that make this form of trauma especially damaging.

At the end of the game, when I let the monster go and watch it disappear into the distance, the experience is painful and difficult. I experience a strange mix of emotions: love, fear, and hate all at the same time.

The monster doesn't die. It's not defeated or permanently changed, it just recedes. It's always going to be there, but with persistence it can be diminished. Is this not how people get over trauma?

The Narrative Perspective that Papo and Yo establishes so effectively takes what would have been a fairly unremarkable puzzle-platformer and turns it into a profound emotional experience. All it took was a title, a quote, and a short cut-scene.

By the end, I didn't much care that Quico's jump action wasn't super satisfying in comparison to other 3D-platformers.

RiME Trades in Mystery

Papo and Yo proves the effectiveness of Narrative Perspective in adding emotional weight to what would otherwise be a straightforward puzzle-solving game. RiME, on the other hand, attempts to trade in mystery.

The game begins with a stormy sea at night followed by a scene of a young boy waking up on an empty beach. Connecting the scenes is a red scarf - a visual symbol that will recur throughout the game. The red scarf means everything, but unfortunately I have no way of knowing that just yet.

Unlike Papo and Yo, RiME doesn't give the player context as to the specific circumstances of the story or the nature of the world as the game begins. This leaves the player to take the game world at face value.

At this point, I was thinking: I guess I'm just washed up on an island? After a storm?

I, as the boy, am marooned, but not alone. Almost immediately, I encounter a fox who guides the path and a mysterious "father" figure who appears and disappears periodically. Throughout the game, I encounter companion and enemy characters, explore the island, warp to what seem like different landscapes, and climb a spiraling tower.

It's really cool. There are some great puzzles. A highlight for me was a mechanic where I pushed a golden orb around in a circle to adjust the time of day. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen that in a game before!

The fox was cute, there were scary wraith-like enemies, and even a robot of sorts. The visuals and designs were just stunning, and I was engrossed by the sounds and music of this world.

It all felt like it should mean something, but I had no real idea of what was going on. All I had were questions: What's up with this island? Is this a real civilization? What's with the fox? Who are these demons? Am I still on the same island? Why do I have magic powers? Oh crap, a demon bird!

The vast majority of my gameplay took place without an sense of context, without Narrative Perspective. I did not have enough information to know what my actions were meant to accomplish: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here?

The greatest question I had was simple: Is this the real world, or some kind of dream?

RiME's narrative approach is simply not to tell the player anything, and to use that sense of mystery to motivate players. I understand what they're doing, but I don't think it led to their desired outcome. Instead of appreciating this world, I was blowing through the content as fast as possible.

Oh, and people hate not knowing whether "it was all a dream" is going to be a thing.

Too Surreal to be Real

Having played Papo and Yo, I began to suspect that the world of RiME was more than met the eye. It's presented in a fairly surreal way, after all.

After completing the first series of puzzles, I was warped to a barren landscape with a ship stuck in white sand. I climbed the bow of the white, glossy ship, and saw a storm front of black clouds overtake the scene. Suddenly, I was on the ship in a storm, joined by the red-cloaked "father" figure.

Again and again, as I completed major sections of the game, I was warped back to the shipwreck landscape. The storm scene replayed, but a little differently each time. With every iteration, I got more information about the scene's true meaning.

Eventually, as the storm flashback repeated yet again, I was finally given enough information to piece together a story of loss. Apparently, the "father" figure was lost at sea, and the boy was left to go on alone. That's something, at least!

It also matches the supposed storyline of the beginning when I woke up on the beach.

But this is where things also start to come apart. If I washed up here after the storm, why is everything happening around feel so... weird?

At the end of each storm flashback, I woke up in a different section of the game world. There was no explanation of how I got there, no path back. Weird.

Each new area was so distinct, and invisible from other sections of the game world, that it really did seem like I had warped to a different island. Weird.

Oh, and there's voice magic and weird ghosts and I can push golden balls to change the time of day. This wouldn't be weird if this was established as the magic inherent to this world... but it's not established at all!

RiME's lack of internal logic is very much in the vein of Papo and Yo, but the game made no attempt to establish that its world was, indeed, not actually "real."

What's more, by taking pains to make me "think" that I had washed up on this island, it felt like the game had given me false information. RiME never actually "lied" to me per se, but by obscuring the nature of its own plot it made the act of understanding its narrative that much more difficult.

While I was still intrigued by the mystery of it all, my primary emotion was a low level of anxiety that prevented me from really enjoying myself. Here I was, progressing through hours of content, but my action lacked context or meaning. My "Agent brain" was buzzing, but my "Actor brain" was silent.

Even clues relating to the loss of a "father" figure came late into the game.

Without context given through Narrative Perspective, my actions felt shallow and meaningless. Through most of my play experience, I just felt like a player completing puzzles.

The shame of it all is that these actions DID have meaning, I just lacked the crucial information to know (or guess) what that meaning really was. You see, RiME has a fantastic premise, it just doesn't tell you what it is until the very end.