Both god of war and Immortals Phenyx Rising take advantage of one of the central aspects of narrative design: the narrator. god of war‘s Mimir en Immortals Phenyx Rising‘s Prometheus takes on the role of the Bard as they guide the player through the game, literally or in the background, telling and explaining many different things.
Video game story design teams have several options at their disposal when writing a storyline, due to the different forms video games can take. In a book or a movie, there is a limit to the ways in which writers can tell a story. Books rely more on description, dialogue, and literary means, while movies forgo extensive narration and description for narrative imagery. Video games have cutscenes that can tell stories, but they also have environmental stories, character relationships, player choice, and many other aspects that lend themselves well to the story. god of war and Immortals Phenyx Rising both use unique storytellers in their narrative design that, while not playing a direct role in the central arc, nevertheless have an impact on both the characters and the player.
Mythological Background in God of War and Immortals Fenyx Rising
god of war‘s Mimir is described in 13th-century writings as a man of great knowledge and wisdom. In the myth, the war between the Aesir gods and the Vanir gods results in the beheading of Mimir; the war referred to on numerous occasions in god of war. The Aesir and Vanir eventually come together to create the unified Pantheon of Deities in Norse Mythology, where the Norse Myth and god of war seem to diverge, as the Vanir gods, especially Freya, seem to have been driven from their place of power and prestige. In the Myth, Odin carries the headless head of Mimir with him and seeks his counsel for various problems and obstacles, which is exactly what Kratos does in god of war.
Immortals Phenyx RisingPrometheus is described in ancient works as a Titan God of Fire, best known for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humans, allowing them to develop knowledge, technology, and civilization themselves. As punishment for his transgression, Prometheus is bound to a rock by Zeus, the king of the Gods, and must endure an eternity of torture in the form of Zeus’s eagle who eats his liver over and over until the end of time . Immortals Phenyx Rising however, Zeus and Prometheus give a much less dark and more humorous tone, cleverly circumventing these ideas of torture and resentment. As Immortals Phenyx Rising reportedly getting a sequel that moves away from the Greek Pantheon, it’ll be interesting to see where Ubisoft takes Prometheus’ character next.
God of War’s Mimir as Storyteller
god of war depicts Mimir as a being with an extraordinary amount of knowledge and wisdom, although he cannot always remember it. Mimir’s humor breaks the intensity god of war just enough to give players a break from the emotional rollercoaster that is the rest of the game. When Kratos and Atreus are on their boat and sailing through Midgard, around the Lake of the Nine, or wherever, Mimir will tell Atreus stories that draw parallels to the lives of the characters. For example, Mimir more than once tells stories of children killing their parents and how there could be no greater offense, which Kratos has nothing to say, because he hides the fact that he killed his own father, Zeus. Atreus.
During the fight, Mimir helps Kratos by warning him of enemies behind him, while hanging from Kratos’ belt. Furthermore, as Mimir traverses the world, sometimes provides information and history that help Kratos and Atreus solve puzzles. As a narrator, Mimir shines as a provider of context and layers the story god of war with legends and stories from Norse mythology. It replaces the more traditional ways of providing this background information, such as having players read it in various scrolls or books found in the game. god of war still has these bits of lore, but not so much that the player is forced to read constantly. Players really love the character, sometimes enough to get god of warMimir has tattooed on their skin.
Immortals Fenyx Rising’s Prometheus as a Storyteller
Prometheus out Immortals Phenyx Rising plays the role of narrator in a very different way. While Mimir travels the realms with Kratos and Atreus and is an active partner with them throughout their journey, Prometheus (along with Zeus) acts as a behind-the-scenes story as Fenyx embarks on an adventure. Zeus asks Prometheus for help in defeating Typhon, a gigantic, evil monster that has escaped captivity. Prometheus makes a bet with Zeus that if a mere mortal can defeat Typhon, Zeus must free Prometheus from his eternity of torture. although Immortals Phenyx Rising‘s Zeus has seen some DLC action after launch, Prometheus has been largely ignored unfortunately.
As Fenyx traverses the world, Prometheus will occasionally mention something about the area that will add some contextual information for the player. One of the best purposes that Prometheus serves is to get all the stories and background information about many of Immortals Phenyx Rising‘s side quests, of which there are many. Prometheus will explain things about characters like Hera or Daidalos. Prometheus helps illuminate the story while simultaneously experiencing it for the player.
Some games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land emphasize storytelling about the environment, while others focus more on narration, cutscenes, and dialogue. Mimir and Prometheus in god of war and Immortals Phenyx Rising add the participating narrator’s element to the mix, respectively. Although they do it in different ways, both storytellers give the narrative design in their games fresh, new ways to add contextual information and color to the story, allowing players to experience it in a completely different way.
god of war is available on PC, PS4 and PS5.
Immortals Phenyx Rising is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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