Attention: Spoilers ahead. Consider this the case for any of my posts.
In general, Animal Crossing for the gamecube and it's derivitives on other Nintento systems are considered to be children's games. They are in the social simulation genre, meant to depict AI and human proxied characters in interaction. The most well known title of the social simulation genre is The Sims, where people are moved around in virtual lives in a virtual world. Animal Crossing works similarly, except instead of people it has anthropomorphic animals. The primary gameplay mechanic is collection and trading of items with the other characters, and the mood is generally lighthearted.
In 2008, the Something Awful user Chewbot began playing Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS, finding that the scenario and dialogue taken out of context could quickly become nightmare fuel. The result was a screenshot LP titled The Terrible Secret of Animal Crossing.
Screenshot let's plays juxtapose images of gameplay with adjacent text to tell a story, often elaborating upon the plot of the game. In the case of Chewbot's story, the plot was almost completely fabricated. A young boy named Billy is sent off to camp at Animal Crossing, and finds that something is off. Investigating further, he discovers an elaborate conspiracy dominated by the anthropomorphic raccoon Tom Nook. Near the climax, gruesome fanart (and even a fanimation) replaces the screenshots. Various bits of scripted conversation and letters lead to a growing unease of the unknown evil that is keeping Billy and the other children in the camps. This Lovecraftian horror changes suddenly as we learn that Tom is not the villain, and of the real story behind the crossing. Chewbot creatively used stationary throughout to craft haunting letters which are not stock for the game, yet do not violate the game mechanics. The two endings are interchangable as they both start before the big reveal, the former ending in a victorious yet somber rescue and the latter in nightmare. The addition of two audio tracks, one for the first chapter and one of the final, is appreciated but incomplete, as if they were planned as a full project but never finished. This work walks a fine line between fanfiction and let's play, with just enough elements of let's play to fall on that side. The result is a lighthearted childrens game is transformed into survival horror more akin to Eternal Darnkess: Sanity's Requiem.
Like most good horror, the elements are subtle and slowly build over time. In context, the character lines used in the screenshots were probably much less creepy, but the initial scene with the taxi driver, Kapp'n, where he says, "I'll just have to make you work it off, HAR HAR HAR! Welcome to camp!" seems almost as dark innuendo alone. Gyroids, originally an item which dances and makes music (or multipurpose item in other versions), is reimagined as sinister artifacts which turn people into anthropomorphic animals. Even the title, Animal Crossing, is used to refer to the period of time between traveling to the island and becoming like the rest of the inhabitants. None of this is known to the reader till the reveal in chapters 8 and 9, with a second reveal in the first ending. The second ending is much more of cosmic horror; there is no escape for the character, who is left in a living nightmare that he now welcomes. The main plot and second ending parallel Lovecraft's Shadow over Innsmouth, where the narrator slowly becomes aware of the creeping evil in the town he is visiting, that the inhabitants are born human and turn into monsters, and by the end he is one of them. In contrast, the first ending jumps away from Lovecraft roots by revealing the true mastermind behind the child slavery and switching to slasher and gore to invoke horror, after which Billy gives a "10 years later" epilogue. Both are nightmare fuel, especially with the digital scene paintings.
I don't think I will soon forget the line "my favorite is rabbit =)". I also don't believe I will ever be playing these games; I enjoy my sleep.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
A nebulous definition of "let's play".
To establish let's play as a genre, I first have to describe just what is a let's play. In simplest terms, a let's play is sampling of a video game joined to commentary. It is a combination of the video game itself, whether by film or photography, accompanied by the commentary of the player and their play.
While these two elements are always present, the rest is variable. The format could be in writing accompanied by screenshots, or film accompanied by disembodied voice. The commentary could be live (to the game play) or inserted afterwards. The player could be playing an entire game or merely part (and there are arguments as to if playing only part of a game is still a let's play, which I won't antagonize here). The commentary could be attempting to craft a particular story, or the player could simply be waxing nostalgic on childhood memories. Cheating may be encouraged or vilified. I would go so far as to suggest that the commentary could be silent, if the gameplay allows the player to emote their experience adequately.
The genre in name originated on the Something Awful Forums in 2006, but the activity of playing video games and commenting on them has been going on much longer. I'm sure many people have childhood memories of sitting around watching friends play video games and talking. The activity of recording video game play probably originated in walkthroughs and speed runs, and with the advent of Internet video sharing these became much easier to distribute. My primary source of let's plays is Youtube, which biases my viewing towards films with live commentary.
With such a broad genre involving several media, it's easier to say what is not a let's play. A mere walkthrough is not a let's play, or at best, is a very poor let's play if it includes commentary. A speed run is not a let's play, as these are generally not matched to commentary. A piece of pure fanfiction is not a let's play, as it doesn't actually include elements of gameplay (e.g. screenshots, footage), though a let's play may exaggerate elements to develop a story.
Therefore, a mediocre let's play is simply one that provides average gameplay with commentary on the activity but does not attempt to craft anything greater. A bad let's play is one where either the gameplay or commentary (or both) create a distasteful, unpleasant or boring experience where no one is having fun.
An exemplar let's play is one that joins superior gameplay to fine commentary in order to craft a story where both the player and the viewer/reader is entertained.
While these two elements are always present, the rest is variable. The format could be in writing accompanied by screenshots, or film accompanied by disembodied voice. The commentary could be live (to the game play) or inserted afterwards. The player could be playing an entire game or merely part (and there are arguments as to if playing only part of a game is still a let's play, which I won't antagonize here). The commentary could be attempting to craft a particular story, or the player could simply be waxing nostalgic on childhood memories. Cheating may be encouraged or vilified. I would go so far as to suggest that the commentary could be silent, if the gameplay allows the player to emote their experience adequately.
The genre in name originated on the Something Awful Forums in 2006, but the activity of playing video games and commenting on them has been going on much longer. I'm sure many people have childhood memories of sitting around watching friends play video games and talking. The activity of recording video game play probably originated in walkthroughs and speed runs, and with the advent of Internet video sharing these became much easier to distribute. My primary source of let's plays is Youtube, which biases my viewing towards films with live commentary.
With such a broad genre involving several media, it's easier to say what is not a let's play. A mere walkthrough is not a let's play, or at best, is a very poor let's play if it includes commentary. A speed run is not a let's play, as these are generally not matched to commentary. A piece of pure fanfiction is not a let's play, as it doesn't actually include elements of gameplay (e.g. screenshots, footage), though a let's play may exaggerate elements to develop a story.
Therefore, a mediocre let's play is simply one that provides average gameplay with commentary on the activity but does not attempt to craft anything greater. A bad let's play is one where either the gameplay or commentary (or both) create a distasteful, unpleasant or boring experience where no one is having fun.
An exemplar let's play is one that joins superior gameplay to fine commentary in order to craft a story where both the player and the viewer/reader is entertained.
Zisteau: Super Hostile Kaizo Caverns and Legendary.
Zisteau of Youtube, originally known for his Piggy Temple (not available) and Survival Island videos, has over the past year crafted an engaging experience through Vechs' Super Hostile map series in Minecraft. After a hard drive failure in March 2011 ended his previous works, Zisteau began a video memorializing his lost save files and film footage, after which he falls into a trap and finds himself stuck at the beginning of Super Hostile 06 Kaizo Caverns.
Super Hostile custom maps, created by Vechs, were intended to be a Minecraft version of the infamous Kaizo Mario hack, pitting the player against dangers in what is often considered to be too easy of a game. Much of the success of the series can be attributed to Zisteau's let's play, as well as his earlier videos of Super Hostile 01 Sea of Flame 1.0 (also lost in the hard drive crash). This map series incorporates a design called Complete the Monument, where the player must survive and pass various difficult trials and deadly traps to find chests filled with wool and return these colored wool to complete a victory monument. Super Hostile therefore combines both survival and adventure Minecraft play for a truly unique experience. Several other map designers have attempted similar CTM projects, but none of these approach the quality and deviousness of Vechs' Super Hostile maps.
Zisteaus's careful and methodical pacing in SH 06 (and later in SH 07) is indicative of his skill as a player, as is his low number of deaths in one of the most difficult Minecraft custom maps ever created. The struggle can be likened to a dungeon crawl with an evil dungeon master always one step ahead of the intrepid hero. Vechs's craft often addresses Zisteau and other Youtube LP'ers directly with cameos on signs and references to earlier adventures, which strengthens the feeling that Vechs is actually staring down at the player from a scrying mirror. As Zisteau progresses the rooms become increasingly perilous, but he continues to be lighthearted against the spiteful creator, even creating a large scale working rollercoaster in one of the chambers, with concession stands staffed by monsters. This mocking back and forth commentary is reminisce of Diomedes who, after wounding both Ares and Aphrodite on the battlefield of Troy, stood his ground against Apollo. Vechs is the deity of the map, and it is his intent in all cases to kill the player as many times as possible.
After a 50 episode struggle culminating with the Citadel of Demons, Zisteau triumphantly completes the victory monument and seeks to escape Kaizo Caverns through the Nether. This is not to be, as like Oddyseus he is waylaid from his path and sent to peril in Super Hostile 07 Legendary. Unlike Kaizo Caverns which claims the title of merely "very difficult", Legendary is deemed "ROM-hack hard". This is both in reference to difficulty and its unforgiving nature, as traditionally ROM-hacks such as Kaizo Mario included unfair cruelty to the player. This is most apparent in I Wanna Be The Guy, a sidescrolling action/puzzle platformer with unfair traps at every step intended to frustrate and enrage. Zisteau takes this change in stride, and continues his systematic conquering under Vechs' gaze. That he has twice fallen back into a Super Hostile map 'against his will' alludes that like Sisyphus he may never escape his hell, but who knows if Sisyphus was not content.
In transitions, opening sequences and footage editing, Zisteau shines. Behind the scenes footage shows that the fall from grace into Kaizo Caverns was a well crafted TNT explosion all the way to bedrock, taking many hours and several attempts to film. In both series the title sequence for each episode sets the mood with appropriate music. This is especially apparent in Legendary, where a cinematic of the episode's landscapes flash with Night on Bald Mountain as background can best be described as epic. Tedious footage of building and mining are expertly cut and blended together with little lost. It seems Zisteau may even be setting off various traps intentionally to provide catharsis for the viewer, though there is no direct evidence of this.
Zisteau's commentary style for these series is blind, and he is actively disinterested in spoiling his experience with knowledge of what comes next. The commentary flows from his excitement and fear, yet he is more like a Greek hero than an unfortunate, donning his "manpance" armor and wielding a sign. He has a love affair with unconventional weapons, including the aforementioned signs, maps and lava buckets, which he calls "advanced lighting techniques". Zisteau makes pronouncements as a king commanding nothing but himself. Thankfully, he has little in the way of catch phrases so his speech is otherwise natural sounding and unscripted, and he is not overly serious, willing to laugh at himself as he fails.
Zisteau may one day escape the clutches of Vechs, but that is yet to be seen. His LP of Legendary is ongoing, with perhaps 1/5th of the map finished after 14 episodes.
Super Hostile custom maps, created by Vechs, were intended to be a Minecraft version of the infamous Kaizo Mario hack, pitting the player against dangers in what is often considered to be too easy of a game. Much of the success of the series can be attributed to Zisteau's let's play, as well as his earlier videos of Super Hostile 01 Sea of Flame 1.0 (also lost in the hard drive crash). This map series incorporates a design called Complete the Monument, where the player must survive and pass various difficult trials and deadly traps to find chests filled with wool and return these colored wool to complete a victory monument. Super Hostile therefore combines both survival and adventure Minecraft play for a truly unique experience. Several other map designers have attempted similar CTM projects, but none of these approach the quality and deviousness of Vechs' Super Hostile maps.
Zisteaus's careful and methodical pacing in SH 06 (and later in SH 07) is indicative of his skill as a player, as is his low number of deaths in one of the most difficult Minecraft custom maps ever created. The struggle can be likened to a dungeon crawl with an evil dungeon master always one step ahead of the intrepid hero. Vechs's craft often addresses Zisteau and other Youtube LP'ers directly with cameos on signs and references to earlier adventures, which strengthens the feeling that Vechs is actually staring down at the player from a scrying mirror. As Zisteau progresses the rooms become increasingly perilous, but he continues to be lighthearted against the spiteful creator, even creating a large scale working rollercoaster in one of the chambers, with concession stands staffed by monsters. This mocking back and forth commentary is reminisce of Diomedes who, after wounding both Ares and Aphrodite on the battlefield of Troy, stood his ground against Apollo. Vechs is the deity of the map, and it is his intent in all cases to kill the player as many times as possible.
After a 50 episode struggle culminating with the Citadel of Demons, Zisteau triumphantly completes the victory monument and seeks to escape Kaizo Caverns through the Nether. This is not to be, as like Oddyseus he is waylaid from his path and sent to peril in Super Hostile 07 Legendary. Unlike Kaizo Caverns which claims the title of merely "very difficult", Legendary is deemed "ROM-hack hard". This is both in reference to difficulty and its unforgiving nature, as traditionally ROM-hacks such as Kaizo Mario included unfair cruelty to the player. This is most apparent in I Wanna Be The Guy, a sidescrolling action/puzzle platformer with unfair traps at every step intended to frustrate and enrage. Zisteau takes this change in stride, and continues his systematic conquering under Vechs' gaze. That he has twice fallen back into a Super Hostile map 'against his will' alludes that like Sisyphus he may never escape his hell, but who knows if Sisyphus was not content.
In transitions, opening sequences and footage editing, Zisteau shines. Behind the scenes footage shows that the fall from grace into Kaizo Caverns was a well crafted TNT explosion all the way to bedrock, taking many hours and several attempts to film. In both series the title sequence for each episode sets the mood with appropriate music. This is especially apparent in Legendary, where a cinematic of the episode's landscapes flash with Night on Bald Mountain as background can best be described as epic. Tedious footage of building and mining are expertly cut and blended together with little lost. It seems Zisteau may even be setting off various traps intentionally to provide catharsis for the viewer, though there is no direct evidence of this.
Zisteau's commentary style for these series is blind, and he is actively disinterested in spoiling his experience with knowledge of what comes next. The commentary flows from his excitement and fear, yet he is more like a Greek hero than an unfortunate, donning his "manpance" armor and wielding a sign. He has a love affair with unconventional weapons, including the aforementioned signs, maps and lava buckets, which he calls "advanced lighting techniques". Zisteau makes pronouncements as a king commanding nothing but himself. Thankfully, he has little in the way of catch phrases so his speech is otherwise natural sounding and unscripted, and he is not overly serious, willing to laugh at himself as he fails.
Zisteau may one day escape the clutches of Vechs, but that is yet to be seen. His LP of Legendary is ongoing, with perhaps 1/5th of the map finished after 14 episodes.
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