Hidden Gems: Game Narratives
Some of you might know this from random shout outs on Twitter, but for others this might come as a surprise: I love video games! I’ve played my share of The Sims, Civilization, Age of Empires, Knights of Honor, Heroes of Might and Magic and the likes, but I’m also an avid flash games fan. Flash games are fun, short and light, and they can be an ideal way to clear your mind or take a short break.
Games in general have revolutionized narratives and storytelling to the point that just recently, when I was working at a Symposium organized by the Belgium Foundation for Reading, the chairman of that organization claimed that the next chairman should be a gamer, because otherwise the Foundation wouldn’t be able to keep up with modern story-telling.
I have no idea how true this vision of the future is, but I do agree that game narratives can be excellent. With that inspiration in mind, I thought I’d share my favorite game narratives with you. Not of the big PC or Playstation or X-box games that look like interactive movies. Instead I’ll be sharing my favorite storytelling flash games. Consider them the short stories of game narratives.
Before I share away I have to write something about where I find my games though. I find my fun either at gamedesign.jp (dicewars is excellent but addictive), or at Kongegrate. Kongegrate is an free game aggregator, with a rating and tips system with which to patronize your favorite game designers. Since this system close to my heart, it should be no surprise that Kongegrate is a site I treasure. The games I’ll be discussing can all be found there. On to some game narratives!
Loondon
Loondon tells the tale of a poor deformed man called Jonah, who’s in search of happiness. The story is a bit sad, but the graphics are incredibly beautiful. I just discovered this today, but the setting reminded me so much of some of the entries of the Search Term Challenge that I wanted to feature it first. Some people argue it’s more a story than it is a game, but for me that’s what makes it so touching.
ImmorTall
Equally sad is ImmorTall, a game that tells the story about what happens when a peaceful alien visits Earth. You can’t win or lose this game, and yet after finishing it, I kind of felt lost. The music and setting all add to the sad feeling that there is something wrong with this world.
The Company of Myself
The Company of Myself is a true puzzle game, but while you’re puzzling away, you find yourself intrigued by the lonely figure who prides himself in being capable of solving everything on his own. Maybe I’m just silly, but my imagination ran wild while playing this, and the the whole self-sacrificing romance almost broke my heart.
Little Red Riding Hood
Instead of telling a new story, this spot-the-difference game retells the fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood in a post-apocalyptic setting. The drawings are excellent, and it almost reads like a graphic novel. I wouldn’t mind more stories retold like this at all.
I’d like to end with a silly side note (two actually), because almost all the above games are sad or melancholic. One of the sneakiest and yet funniest references to literature on Kongregate can be found in Dolphin Olympics 2. DO2 is a silly yet addictive game in which you have to do tricks with a dolphin. I’ve been trying to reach the restaurant at the end of the world for ages now, but never succeeded.
And last but not least, I call out to all webfiction authors to please write me a story about Robot Unicorns. They kick some amazing ass!
Enjoy the games, and if you know any other (free) games with an excellent narrative, feel free to recommend away!