Stories Without Words.

How to Tell a Story, without saying a word.

If I asked you to tell me a story, how would you go about it? Most likely you would say along the lines of, "Once upon a time." But what if I said you tell a compelling story, while only saying the bare minimum to your client? Let's go down this rabbit hole of thought and see if my logic holds up.

You're Going to Die.

Chances are you have heard this phrase, even if you have never heard of the game it's from.

Dark Souls is a game series that has been heralded as one of the hardest game series since the arcade days of gaming. But what I find fascinating is the method of story telling that is packed into the game. When you first boot up the game you are treated to a short story cut scene, but after that all you get is cryptic lines from random NPC's. But outside of that? Not much in terms of plot line shoved down your throat. So how you might ask, does it tell a compelling story? Two ways, through environmental story telling and player influence. Let's examine a screen shot and dig deeper into the meaning behind these two concepts.  

On to the Ithryll dungeons, oh how I dreaded you. the overwhelming the feeling of dread and death is overbearing. If you can zoom in on the picture I highly encourage it. The main enemies in the are are called "Jailers" which is fitting for a dungeon. There main weapon is a cruel branding iron, and cackle with glee when they hit you and slowly drain your health when you are in line of sight freezing you in place. What does this have to do with story telling? EVERYTHING. Most of the cells are empty which makes the player wonder what happened to the prisoners,(which you end up fighting later on.) The enclosed hallways and narrow spaces force the player to react head on. Instead of running around corners you are forced to walk slow and peek around edges for threats. Lighting is sparse, and where light is usually comforting to a player, the Jailers carry lanterns. So when you see light at the end of a hallway, instead of being excited for the light, you are filled with dread. Which further drives home the battle of light and dark in the Dark Souls mythos. All of this pulls the player in and tells the history of the area, while driving the player forward in there convictions. 

How about another example?

After the tutorial levels you are brought to The Wall. As you venture forward you see the the main Castle in the distance. You are drawn to it, but you learn that it is guarded by a fierce enemy. And the that town below was cut off by a great rupture. It feels destitute, departed, almost as if time has stopped, or had stopped long ago. Even the air looks stale, and the enemies are, for the most part, poorly equipped.There are trees with withered people clawing toward the city in the distance, making you wonder how things came to be this way. After you leave the Wall, it's a slow climb back, which circles the whole game leading you back to where you started. Defeating the Monster guarding the city above, and breaking through. It draws great parallels to, "The Hero's Journey," while forging it's own path. There is another game to bring into the discussion when talking about, "The Hero's Journey," but that's a whole article for another day. Last example for the day, it's a bit complicated so bare with me.

Yeah, she's terrifying.

 OK so here we go.

The first time you see the dancer, (if you don't go on a murder spree) She looks very different. Very different indeed. Don't believe me? The first time you run into her is in the Irithyll. Let me explain. When you first enter the Irithyll you see ghosts of the past walking in this once great city. Two will walk out of the city into exile.

Who was the second you ask? My theory along with others is that it is Vordt of the Boreal Valley.

(pictured right.)

Irithyll is located in the Boreal Valley, and both the Dancer and Vordt are located and fought in the same area. In fact they are less than a minute apart. One guards the way to the town below, while the other guards the Castle above. Digging more in depth you can learn that the Dancer was once a part of the noble court till the corrupt Pontiff, (basically a sheriff.) made advances onto the Dancer and tried to forcibly take her as a concubine. Vordt tried to defend her honor, and as a result they both were exiled. However even in exile Vordt still tries to defend the Dancer, drawing attention away from her and on to himself.

(Editors note, Yes I know this is not 100% correct after reading some item descriptions. But this is another cool thing about this game. This whole theory was based off of my own play through which I didn't go super in depth into the items of the game.)

So we have two bosses that have backstories hidden in the world. It gives these bosses purpose, and a motive. All without the game taking control away from the player. Instead of stopping the player and saying, "HEY LOOK AT THIS!" it respects the intelligence of said player, deepens the lore and enhances the world building.

Ok, ok, what's your point?

Well, I don't have a point. Yes that's right I'm not trying to go on a crusade like I usually do. I just wanted to talk about something that I'm passionate about. Stories without words. Tales that come from character models and environments. These really make a world shine in my opinion and breath life into worlds that most people charge through. So next time you are playing Dark Souls, or really any large world building game, look around. Be inquisitive, look at the small details and ponder what emotions the game is trying to evoke. Well I've rambled on for long enough, I hope you have enjoyed this look into something a little more technical. Always remember, the fire fades, and Praise the Sun!