Conveying Narrative

          For those of you who want to make games with stories, how do you tell a narrative in a game? Do you tell it like a book with lots of text to read? Or do you show it like a movie in a theater? Or maybe you read off some lines for the player to hear when they pick up an audio recording in game? These methods don’t exactly work as effectively as one may hope. Making players read text takes them out of the game, though they may still be engrossed in the world. Showing a cut scene can work for some cinematic moments, but the player still has to stop to watch it. Audio recordings can fill players in on the story, yet the information can be lost if other sounds are playing, too. All of these methods require the player to stop focusing on the game in order to take in the narrative. Admittedly, the audio recordings may take them out the least, but I still feel like I’m missing out on crucial information if I pick up an audio file in BioShock and some slicers are hitting me. They’re both making noise and I’d rather not read subtitles in the middle of a fight.

          To properly convey narrative in a game, the player must not be pulled out of the gameplay for too long. Let them keep moving around and looking at things, have them find brief scripts of text that can be read in under thirty seconds, ensure any essential audio lore can’t be interrupted by another sound or by music. One of the best ways designers convey narrative is through mechanics and level design. 

          Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons does this exceptionally well. The player must control both brothers to solve puzzles and progress through the game. The narrative is sort of happening in the background, but you also gain an attachment to the brothers themselves as their characters develop. The two need to find a way to cure their father’s illness. Naturally, they go around town looking for assistance when they are instructed that the cure will likely be found outside of town. To leave town, the two brothers must work together to bypass obstacles. The mechanics of puzzle solving are simple enough, but it requires that both siblings operate in tandem to progress. It creates some heartwarming (and gut-wrenching) moments as the game goes on. 

When the player reaches a point near the end, the eldest brother is gone and the game changes mood entirely. How can you play the game (and proceed with the narrative) when your only brother is no longer here? Naturally, you think you can do this last puzzle by yourself. Despite your efforts, it doesn’t work out. And yet, the game never explicitly tells you that you can still use your brother’s controls to solve the puzzle. When you do, the solution is found! It’s a gripping moment when you finally realize what to do and what it means that you can still use your brother to help you despite his absence.

          However, there are games that have are narratively focused and have gameplay built to suit the story. Oxenfree is a good example of how narrative can sometimes take precedence over mechanics. Players can decide what dialogue options they respond to other characters with. Depending on their choices, the story plays out differently. The only mechanics the game has is walking/running, dialogue choices, and tuning a radio. The radio is interesting, but it isn’t the most awesome thing in the world. It helps convey the backstory of the world and also helps in progressing through the game. Oxenfree relies on these mechanics to make their story more engaging because playing with that radio makes you feel more involved. Dialogue choices alone could maybe make the game playable, but the radio is what really sells the narrative. Without that mechanic, this game might as well be a “visual novel”.

          When it comes to conveying narrative, focus on using gameplay and design to tell the story. If an important detail needs to be in the player’s mind, let them know by having them see or hear the crucial information. If presented well, they won’t forget. You can use text, but don’t flood them with an encyclopedia of your game world’s lore and history. They can still find that stuff and read it on their own time, but don’t make them feel like they have to read it right this minute. Cutscenes work for cinematic moments, but the player can’t do anything until the mini movie ends or is skipped. If it’s too long, they will likely want to skip the story altogether just to get back to playing again. And audio recordings work fine, just don’t have them play in areas where there’s going to be a lot of noise. Even if the background sound has a lower volume, it’s still additional noise to filter out. Build your game out before you incorporate a narrative. Or if you have an incredibly good narrative, find mechanics and systems that fit that kind of story. If you only want to tell stories, why not write a book?