Pretty much how I look at it.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Do you think Soul series way of story-telling should be a standard from now on?
- Thread starter Dark_castle
- Start date
Deified Data
Banned
No. It's a unique element of the Souls series that might not translate to other kinds of narratives. Not even From managed to get it right in Dark Souls II. This kind of storytelling requires a huge amount of thought and planning, not just being vague about everything and hoping the fans piece together a decent narrative from disparate scraps.
I think telling a story that way can certainly be well done. I think overall i would like to see games implement it the way the last of us did with finding notes and learning the story of Ish. It added a great bit of story and connection to the world; however didn't take away or make it difficult to follow what was going on in the game if you missed the notes or just didn't feel like reading a bunch of collectibles.
All in all i think telling a story that way has to be really well done. Not to many as to slow me down from experiencing the game, or just lose interest in, but also enough to be able to flesh the story out.
But for me ideally they would be an additional form of storytelling that would be used to help add depth and clarity to strengthen the world.
All in all i think telling a story that way has to be really well done. Not to many as to slow me down from experiencing the game, or just lose interest in, but also enough to be able to flesh the story out.
But for me ideally they would be an additional form of storytelling that would be used to help add depth and clarity to strengthen the world.
Precisely.
Learning from each type is good of course, but I wouldn't want there to just be one method of doing anything in any industry, even if some ways aren't my cup of tea.
Yeah, I expect that if more gamedevs tried to do stories Souls-style it would end up getting really meta like the old ladies in the DS2 intro going "you'll do x without even knowing why," and games where the devs use the mystery as a reason to not flesh out the world and characters.
However, DS2 also would have benefited immensely if the CG scene at the beginning was like DS1 (exposition and boss backstory, even if it's only 1 or 2 lines about each).
And no the Souls stylistic standard should not be applied to every game...lol
Bioshock
Fuz
Banned
Let me state that I absolutely loved DS' storytelling.
But no, it shouldn't be a "standard". It's really not for everyone, although I do hope to see more stories told in some similar way, and I hope to see less dumbed down storytelling all around.
Exactly.
But no, it shouldn't be a "standard". It's really not for everyone, although I do hope to see more stories told in some similar way, and I hope to see less dumbed down storytelling all around.
Exactly.
Laurentius
Member
qnsJO
Last edited:
GaryGodblood
Banned
Hell no
Man-is-Obsolete
Member
There should be no standard. Ironically the Souls series of story telling came about because there was no standard games should adhere too. So let that kick around in your head for minute.
abstract alien
Member
Not to speak for the OP, but it feels like everyone is taking the wording of "standard" a bit too literally. I think he just asking should it be the norm the same way voice acted , cutscene style story telling is the normal thing we tend to expect now. Not that every game from this point forward follows that template.
Maybe I'm misreading the context, but that's what I got from it.
Maybe I'm misreading the context, but that's what I got from it.
God no. Telling your story through hidden objects and innuendo works for souls, but it means that you can never get a definite understanding of the world and it's goings on. It's fine because Souls centers around worlds that are dying and the reasons for it are shrouded in mystery. But could you imagine if you had to tell a modern story that way?
Sometimes, you can just be straight forward about the story you want to tell.
Sometimes, you can just be straight forward about the story you want to tell.
Hibiki Kurosawa
Member
Not a standard, but it is definitely a form of story telling that I'd love to see explored more.
There should never be one way of telling a story.
Yes, Dark Souls is an excellent form of storytelling but I don't want it in all my games. If some developers want to begin adding some more ambient notes in to the world, well go for it.
Oh, not to mention. FROM are very talented at this form of storytelling, I can imagine some Devs completely ruining it and delivering a narrative mess.
Yes, Dark Souls is an excellent form of storytelling but I don't want it in all my games. If some developers want to begin adding some more ambient notes in to the world, well go for it.
Oh, not to mention. FROM are very talented at this form of storytelling, I can imagine some Devs completely ruining it and delivering a narrative mess.
MatrixMan.EXE
Member
It's a brilliant way of story telling that more games should embrace but no way should it become standard. That's how people get bored of certain mechanics. If it fits the story that's being told then fine, but there's nothing wrong with the way say, Uncharted, delivers it's story too.
shaowebb
Member
Worked for Metroid Prime...
Absolutely this. Hell no. I like to play games that include a story and don't require me to go to Youtube and watch a half-hour lore video to find out things actually happened.
Of all the overrated aspects of the Souls games, this is among the worst for me.
Arthr2ShdsJcksn
Banned
I'd like to see more of it done in the near future, but I don't condone standards when it comes to art. Whatever the standard is, it should be broken.
Souls games don't require you to go on youtube but they do require that you read item descriptions and listen to NPCs.
Slight exaggeration perhaps, but it's a system that's only a peg or two higher than Destiny and its grimoire for me. Obviously, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I am decidedly not a fan. It's okay for the Souls games but I don't need to see it in other places.
IdreamofHIME
Member
Yeah every game should just be the same, diversity is for wimps.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Which is odd because the Dark Souls series is incredibly blatant in how specific it is.
pinkurocket
Member
The Souls games are not the first to do this at all. Games like Silent Hill have been using the environment and atmosphere to tell you the story. Metroid Prime doesn't tell you much unless you choose to explore and scan items. Yes, I think it's a superior way of storytelling in games. Developers should think about ways of telling their stories outside of cutscenes, there's more examples of games that have been able to do this without compromising on story.
Let's have a good variety of different methods of storytelling instead. Makes it that much more interesting. There are lots of badly written games (more so than well written ones) and I doubt that the writers behind those games would be magically able to make their stories better by switching to a souls-like method.
John Bender
Banned
lol no!
There should never be a standard for "doesn'tmatterwhat".
There should never be a standard for "doesn'tmatterwhat".
No. First of all variety is good. Second of all, the story telling methods the Souls games use works because game play is the number one focus. You don't want long cut scenes interrupting the game play, so adding little tidbits here and there which people can pick up on if they're interested is a good compromise.
Jeronimo Jones
Member
Nah, more options please. I prefer when games have their own personality. There is no one size that fits all.
I like Souls gameplay, but not the way the story was told.
I like Souls gameplay, but not the way the story was told.
Simply Sarah
Member
What really should happen is that the devs for each game should use whatever method is judged most effective for telling that game's story and fitting the desired feeling of it. Yes, I know that's a bit of a cop out response, but the fact is that there are places for all kinds of storytelling methods which may or may not work well for any one environment.
Piercedveil
Member
No thanks. I like the Souls games for their gameplay but if I have to dig for the story, chances are I'm not going to give enough of a shit to do that all the time.