Kingdom Hearts – Interactive Digital Narratives

The quest begins the Shovel Knight’s backstory. Shovel knight and Shield Knight are both partners who were separated after confronting The Enchantress. Shield Knight disappeared and Shovel Knight is on a quest to find her because he believes that Shield Knight is still alive. A shovel is the main weapon in this game, which is a unique concept. The shovel is actually not that bad of a weapon. Shovel Knight can jump and aim the shovel downward to perform an aerial attack.The Enchantress and the Order of No Quarter have taken over the land and established separate domains. This game is largely based on medieval fantasy. All currency is referred to as gold regardless if it is a diamond that was picked up. Save points light up when reached and are a crystal ball upon a stand. Upon death, Shovel Knight’s collected treasures sprout wings and float in the exact death location for recollection. A dragon appears! Shoveling walls can unlock secret places that include new treasures. This can also lead to alternative routes. Relics are located on the bottom screen and can be used for added boosts.

Black Knight is a lonely hater of Shovel Knight who doubts Shovel Knight’s power in comparison to The Enchantress. He has an attack in which he jumps in the air and drop straight down with his shovel/lance such as Riku’s “Dark Break” in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (GBA). Once defeated Black Knight runs away. The dream sequence is beautiful! The song choice really drives the emotion only to then wake up after catching Shield Knight. A bard collects music sheets and provides a side quest of collecting all the sheets. He compensates Shovel Knight by rewarding gold. He can perform any music sheet which a nice feature since the soundtrack is extensive. My favorite interaction is with the hedge farmer who asks the player to shovel dirt: “You really are the Shovel Knight!”

Riku’s Dark Break.

Shovel Knight’s Shovel Drop.

Lara Croft, the titular tomb raider in the infamous Tomb Raider series, is perhaps one of the most famous women in video game history. However, in the 2013 revamp of the series, Lara is not the gritty action hero that fans know and love. Tomb Raider focuses on Lara’s origins, namely Lara’s first expedition as an archaeologist, when she searches for the lost island of Yamatai. In her search for the island, Lara and her crew encounter a storm that shipwrecks them on a mysterious island. This shipwreck is what truly sets the game in motion. Stranded on an island inhabited by dangerous men, Lara has to develop the skills to survive.

The character quickly switches from a brainy archaeology student planning an expedition to a survivor. This desire for survival coincides with Lara developing skills and abilities to help her survive on the island, including combat skills to battle the dangerous locals. At this point in the game, Tomb Raider relies on a common trope used in action video games from The Legend of Zelda to Kingdom Hearts: as the protagonist advances through the story, they gain more experience which unlocks more skills and abilities that help them battle their way through the game.

Throughout Tomb Raider, Lara gains abilities, such as shooting a bow-and arrow, that advance her story.

Typically, this narrative decision increases the immersive nature of the game in which it is used. The protagonist gains more abilities as the player becomes more familiar with the game mechanics. New skills are acquired in a way that makes sense within the game world. This could be done by having the protagonist go through a tutorial where a character teaches the protagonist the skill, or could rely on pre-existing facts learned about the character. For example, in The Legend of Zelda series, it makes sense the Link gains more combat abilities as he advances through his quest—he’s the heroic knight of the tale.

In Tomb Raider, however, this decision really made me question the game’s logic, and actually pulled me out of my immersive playing experience. Lara is introduced as an archaeology student, yet in one of the game’s first missions, Lara salvages a bow-and-arrow from a corpse and uses it with ease. Lara also picks up a gun and is able to take out the island’s threatening inhabitants with the ease of an expert marksman. In reality, I have my doubts that an archaeology student would be so well-versed in combat techniques. Especially since there is no mention of Lara ever learning these skills. In the game, Lara simply picks up the weapons and is immediately an expert at them.

Lara (too) quickly transitions from an archaeology graduate into a seasoned killing machine

Image Sources:

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/tomb_raider/b/xbox360/archive/2013/02/25/tomb-raider-review.aspx

http://www.gamesradar.com/tomb-raider-review/

Category: Kingdom Hearts

That’s No Weapon. That’s a Shovel!

Lara Croft- the Novice Adventurer?