How FROMSOFT tells stories (Part III)

Game Dev — Dark Spaces — Games don’t always tell interesting stories, but they certainly have the capacity to, and often in more interesting ways than linear media. Certain games and studios have been able to dish out complex stories that deal in good fun, moral ambiguity, and dark intrigue. Naughty Dog has done the first two with the Uncharted and The Last of Us series, Undertale and Shadow of the Colossus asked who the monster really was, and Bioshock showed the inevitable end of unrestrained Ayn Randian philosophy. All those games have a relatively clear narrative structure (though not all the same). Through the combination of cutscenes, dialogue, and player action, they build a picture of a world. FROM builds narrative differently and it has led many to believe that their games don’t have stories. Nothing could be further from the truth

FROM games notoriously ask a lot of players. They ask for patience, commitment, skill, and a desire to learn. While these games could have a more standard 3 act structured narrative placed on them, that would ultimately take away from what players get from the story. But how are the stories different? Simple, they are light on direct narrative, i.e. telling players what’s going on but extremely heavy on lore, if one knows where to look

Consider some common themes throughout FROM games. The timing of players’ arrival in each world is after the fall of something that was once great, be it the Kingdom of Lordran (Dark Souls), fiefdom of Ashina (Sekiro), or the perversion of Yharnam (Bloodborne). Each of these worlds is in a state of decay due to whatever forces have acted upon it, from within or without. The vast majority of games, specifically AAA, would feature long expository cutscenes, audiologs, or character dialogue to express this (Think Metal Gear Solid… though even with its massive amount of cutscenes it’s a chore to figure out what’s going on in those games). FROM chooses not to do this and instead relies on a few unique elements to tell stories

The opening cinematic is ubiquitous in FROM games and it sets the stage for what is to come. This single, efficient piece often outlines the conflict, major bosses players will fight, etc. It also raises several questions to be answered within the game

Environment is key. The majority of the art assets do more than fill space, they hold a specific narrative meaning. This connects to both the game narrative and the story being told within that specific area. Of course every game has this to some extent, but FROM dials it to 11. This even extends to enemies as they hold clues, from the run of the mill to all the way to the boss of an area. In Dark Souls III players fight the Abyss Watchers, but might be surprised they are fighting each other when players enter the arena. One only need look at their armor, if acquired, to see the tendrils of the abyss they had been holding back, creeping up their armor. The corruption spread to those fighting it so they were locked in a battle to stop themselves. Suffice it to say, the intricacies are deep (also, the evocative naming of areas is some of the best in all of games)

Other story clues tied to different areas, bosses, and NPCs can be discerned from item descriptions. There are so many items, weapons, shields, armor, etc and each bears some text on its place within the world (Sekiro is a notable exception). It’s up to players to take the time to read the descriptions, particularly when an item is picked up as it’s location ties into the greater game narrative

There are multiple NPCs present throughout the games but all are slightly aloof and often speak in riddles. What’s more is they typically appear in multiple locations throughout the game on their own individual questlines. For example, Siegward of Catarina in Dark Souls 3 is closely tied to Yhorm the Giant. Assuming the player completes multiple steps to find him and speak with him along the way, he will be summonable for the fight with Yhorm. If players follow his dialogue and quest they learn he made a promise to Yhorm that should he ever abandon his duty, Siegward would put an end to him and he brings a special weapon to do so

Back at Bungie I would talk with a writer friend of mine about stories in games and what was meaningful. That would ultimately end in opining on how imaginations are the best story teller. My argument, at the time, was Boba Fett was an interesting character because we didn’t know anything about him. The character had 6.5 minutes of screentime and 4 lines over 2 movies, but was a massive fan favorite. Lucas had done a disservice when he added a backstory in Episodes II and III

Stories in FROM games are deep and complex but aren’t delivered in standard methods. They use items, enemies, and the world to relay narrative. Like the other staples of its design, if players put in the time, there are plausible conclusions. There is always mystery, though. In either the book You Died or Beyond the Grave, it was revealed that Miyazaki was an unsurprisingly huge fan of dark western fantasy books (Song of Ice and Fire, Lord of the Rings, etc). When he read these books, however, he didn’t fully understand the English, so he filled in the gaps with his imagination; that’s what is presented to players of FROM games. They treat players to lots of questions but never fully answer them

What may seem to some to be a game without narrative turns out to be something surprisingly interesting. Moreover, the intentional spaces in the narrative let players’ imaginations fill the gaps with their own theories (entire Youtube channels are based on this). Much like the combat, the more players engage, the more they learn