Wolf House Gaming

Warning: There are spoilers ahead.

One of the many examples of performance throughout the game.

Final Fantasy 9 is a game about self-discovery. The incredible cast of characters must overcome the odds and band together to save the world, while also finding out things about themselves along the way. Sounds like a Final Fantasy game alright, the usual tale of a rag-tag bunch of misfits setting off on an adventure together. Final Fantasy 9 is different though; it has a self-awareness. It is no coincidence that cast of characters is a theater term, as every character is knowingly playing a role.

Performance and masquerade feature heavily in Final Fantasy 9; they are so prevalent that it can be argued that they are, in fact, the central themes of the game. There are countless examples of theater terms used, countless nods to masquerade balls, and countless nods to disguise and acting; it is no coincident that the entire game's opening has a Shakespearean-esque fantasy feel.

Perhaps the biggest case for this argument is that all the events of Final Fantasy 9 are book-ended by theatrical performance; the game starts and ends with the fictional play I Want to be Your Canary.

Theater is consistently referenced throughout Final Fantasy 9.

I Want to be Your Canary tells the story between a noble and a peasant and is written by Lord Avon (an obvious reference to Shakespeare being known as the 'Bard of Avon'). Zidane, and the rest of Tantalus, perform the play as part of a plan to kidnap the Princess of Alexandria.

Zidane and Princess Garnet are both familiar with I Want to be Your Canary, Zidane must know the play in depth if he is able to perform multiple roles from it, and it is revealed that Garnet studied the play as a youth. It is no surprise that, with their expertise in theater, the leading man and lady are playing roles throughout Final Fantasy 9.

The first time Princess Garnet is encountered she is in disguise. She then changes her name to Dagger and alters her speech pattern in order to play the role of a commoner. And, like Zidane, it is eventually revealed that her true identity is not what was initially thought.

One of the many different guises Garnet takes during the game.

Every character in Final Fantasy 9 acts at a point. They either disguise themselves or put on a mask to cover deep seated emotional issues; each member of the main cast, from party members from antagonists do this, even many of the minor characters as well. In fact, Zidane seems like the only genuine one among them. He encourages his friends onward in the face of adversity, charges fearlessly into danger, he does all the things a traditional hero would...

Maybe, just maybe, he's playing a role too. The role of the hero.

It's already established that Zidane must have an in-depth knowledge of theater and acting, and his life as thief shows his silver tongue and ability to persuade. The player learns, towards the end of the game, that Zidane, much like Garnet, is not as he seems. What if he'd also been knowingly playing a role about all the way through the events of the game?

Was Blank the true hero of Final Fantasy 9?

In terms of heroic protagonists, Zidane hardly fits the bill. His motivations, before the events in Evil Forrest, are that of a ladies man and a thief; he's more Han Solo than Luke Skywalker. He even boasts to Blank how he's going to 'reel in' a Princess.

Blank - Sheez... You really dig her, huh?
Zidane - I can't sit around knowing a girl's in trouble. Goes against my nature.
Blank - Whatever. You're full of crap.
Zidane - Oh... I get it. You're jealous that I'm gonna get me a sweetie pie.

Blank then proceeds to give Zidane advice and medicine; both which prove to be of great help. Even with those things, and the help of Vivi and Steiner, Zidane still struggles to rescue the princess. It is only when Blank arrives, to save the day, that they are successful. He then saves Zidane's life, sacrificing himself in the process, before throwing him the map that would ensure the survival of the party.

It's not just his actions that argue for his place as true hero/protagonist. Although it is hard to gauge how Tantalus is ordered, he seems to have more seniority than Zidane. As well as being the Prima Vista's pilot, he is also trusted to helm the Blue Narciss later in the game. The single time he is a party member, he takes the primary slot, which is usually reserved for the party leader. He wields a sword, the traditional weapon of the hero. And, he fights in the struggle for Alexandria immediately after being unfrozen from petrification.

It is only after Blank is turned to stone and Zidane finds himself alone in the wilderness with a Princess, an oafish knight, and a child, that he takes on the role of the hero. He starts out playing one, but truly becomes one by the end of the game when he makes his own heroic sacrifice.

Black Waltz No.3 and the Cargo Ship.

The images of a masquerade ball come to mind when considering the the theatrical within Final Fantasy 9; the musical style of certain sections, the overarching themes of an outer facade masking inner truths, and specific character designs. Take the Black Waltz's for example, the name makes obvious sense because there are three of them, but it is no coincidence that they are named after the sort of dance that is performed at a ball.

In another nod to Shakespeare, the idea of the farce comes to mind when examining the series of events that eventually bring Beatrix and Steiner together. A love letter, intended for Zidane, falls into the hands of many characters before being dropped and subsequently found by Beatrix, believing it from Steiner. The same night, Steiner finds the same letter and, in turn, mistakes it being from Beatrix addressed to him. The whole thing takes place as an audience of characters watches from afar.

A Happy Ending

Final Fantasy 9 ends as it begins: with a performance of I Want to be Your Canary. As the first performance is interrupted, by the events of the game, the player is unaware of how the story concludes. It is only as the final performance plays out, at the end of the game, that the player experiences the entire story. The narrative of both the play and the game itself are intertwined, and it is no coincidence that once I Want to be Your Canary finally ends, the game does as well. Zidane finally throws off his final disguise, his last masquerade, and the performance is over.

Article

Final Fantasy 9: The Masquerade

Warning: There are spoilers ahead. One of the many examples of performance throughout the game. Final Fantasy 9 is a game about self...

Blizzard sure know how to make videogames.

First things first, Overwatch is a quality game. There are issues with balancing, in regards to both maps and characters, and the level of toxicity seems to be rising (something that can't be avoided with massively popular online multiplayer titles) but Overwatch is a game that is being championed. Rightly so.

It is rare to see a high budget, new I.P. from a distinguished studio that's been crafted. It wasn't rushed, or pushed out for a deadline. It isn't gimmicky, even though it appeared to be initially. It plays like an old-school PC FPS, but has brought the genre to modern audiences. It's ironic how the hugely successful Dota 2, created by Valve, originated from Blizzard's Warcraft 3 as Overwatch clearly takes inspiration from Valve's early multiplayer shooters; Team Fortress being the obvious comparison. It's nice to see the nods to those other games, especially with character design. Roadhog is an obvious clone of The Butcher from Diablo (which Dota 2's Pudge is also based on), Tracer shares many similarities with Dota 2's Weaver, and Mercy is basically Team Fortress' medic.

"Nerf this."

The character design ranges from the fantastic to the terrible. In terms of gameplay, each character has a clear purpose and some are stronger than others. This is to be expected, Overwatch is brand new and it'll take time for the balance issues to work themselves out. Dota 2, League of Legends, and even Super Smash Bros. receive constant balance patches now, it is unreasonable to think Overwatch will be any different in terms of updated content.

Artistically, there are some high highs and low lows. The lowest of the lows is easily Reaper, who hearkens back to the 'edgy' character design of the early 2000s. It is reminiscent of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within or Shadow the Hedgehog; it's just shit. How a character called Reaper, with voice-lines like "If it lives, I can kill it" and "Die. Die. Die" got through design with a thumbs up is baffling; it's just shit. Almost everything else, however, is well rounded and polished.

It's hard not to recommend Overwatch. It is unlikely to dethrone Dota 2, League of Legends, Counter Strike (or even Smash Bros. or Street Fighter) at the top of the esports charts, but it is well worth your time and money.

Review

A Review of Overwatch

Blizzard sure know how to make videogames. First things first, Overwatch is a quality game. There are issues with balancing, in regards...

Warning: Minor plot spoilers ahead.

"This is the choice of Steins Gate."

While playing through Steins;Gate for the first time, I wondered when I would have to make my first binary choice, as is often the case with even the best visual novels. I waited and waited for that dialogue option to pop up. Do you want to go to the maid cafe or the electronics store? Will you comfort Kurisu Makise or Mayuri Shiina? I waited and waited for that interaction, for that choice, but it never came. Then, in a moment of fridge brilliance, it clicked. I'd been making those choices all along without realizing it.

For a visual novel, Steins;Gate has the perfect gameplay system for its narrative. I'm not going to preach about ludonarrative dissonance or mechanics as metaphor, but Steins;Gate is worth a special mention. The central plot point is a simple one: What if you could send a message through time?

The 'Phone Trigger' System.

The 'Phone Trigger' system is at the core of Steins;Gate. Throughout the game you receive messages, e-mails and phone calls, and it is up to the player to decide how to respond. Or maybe you don't respond? Maybe you don't answer the phone? The interaction from the player is minimal but those small interactions have big narrative consequences, just like how a butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the world can cause hurricanes.

Time travel is a difficult literary device to implement and even some of the best examples, like the films Twelve Monkeys and Groundhog Day, do little to explain the phenomenon. Steins;Gate goes above and beyond in its approach, dedicating a large amount of time to explain multiple time travel theories. It is presented so well that a phone stuck onto the side of a microwave seems like a perfectly feasible time machine.

"99% science (reality), 1% fantasy."

The offbeat cast of characters is what gives Steins;Gate its emotional core, and at the center of that is self proclaimed mad scientist Okabe Rintaro. As the plot progresses, Rintaro transforms from an arrogant, and slightly useless, goofball into a responsible and mature adult. It is one of the best examples of character development in a videogame. Rintaro experienes horrific things as he leaps through time, over and over and over, trying to save the people he cares about, trying to undo all his mistakes. Rintaro, and the other Future Lab members, aren't perfect, they make mistakes. None of us are perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. If you could send a message to the past and undo those mistakes, would you? If you did, would you learn from those mistakes? Or is sending that message just another mistake you wish you could undo?

That is the choice of Steins;Gate.

Article

Steins;Gate and Ludonarrative Harmony

Warning: Minor plot spoilers ahead. "This is the choice of Steins Gate." While playing through Steins;Gate for the first t...

Article

Persona 3: The Importance of Narrative

Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey. One is always aware that it lies in wait. Though life is merely a journey to the grave...

Big changes are afoot.

The Year of the Kraken is here and Hearthstone has undergone its biggest change yet; ranked mode is now split between 'Standard' and 'Wild'.

'Standard' mode will only allow players to play with decks containing cards from the "current and previous calendar year" and, of course, the basic and classic cards. This means that cards from 'Wild' will allow cards from any expansion. Similar to Magic the Gathering, a yearly change to the viable cards in 'Standard' play will ensure the meta doesn't stagnate. The Curse of Naxxramas adventure has also been removed; the cards are still available for crafting, but will only be playable in 'Wild' mode.

Curse of Naxxramas and Goblins vs Gnomes will not be part of Standard. When we release the first new Expansion each year, every set that wasn’t released in the same year or the year prior will cycle out and no longer be part of the Standard format.

A much needed nerf.

What does it all mean though?

This is essentially a way for Blizzard to remove the two expansions from competitive play without a huge community uproar. The release of the first expansions, Naxxramas and Goblins vs Gnomes, resulted in an irreversible shift away from how the game was played. The expansions have pushed Hearthstone into a fast paced, burst-based, aggressive direction that has defined the meta since its introduction. To put it simply, the expansion cards were far stronger than the basic/classic set and there was no clear way to slow the meta down. Everyone has experienced the turn seven Dr.Boom.

It is no coincidence that much of the Whispers of the Old Gods expansion is geared towards late game play with the nerfs to the burst combo of charge cards, late game removal, and silences.

Goodbye Druid Combo.

Only time will tell the impact that the Whispers of the Old Gods will have on the meta-game, but it is hard to argue against the new standard mode. It will ensure Hearthstone won't stagnate without the usual power creep associated with card games. Bring on the Year of the Kraken!

Article