Fest's Character Corner: The Redeemed Villain

Every story has a villain of some sort, a primary antagonist. These characters are often representative of the exact opposite of the hero. Sometimes the primary villain is close with the protagonist in a story, typically experiencing some sort of event that pushes them apart, down opposing paths. These characters have always been of great interest to me as they represent the risk of falling and also the possibility for redemption.

Often in stories where the antagonist and protagonist are close there is a potent sense of drama that just isn't generated by the more generic villain types. This really gives certain stories some intense depth and great dynamics.

These kinds of villains also seem to find themselves in a position to redeem themselves in some way and return to the light, so to speak. A good example of this type of character would be Kratos, from Tales of Symphonia. Kratos is a character that assumes both the role of hero and villain in Symphonia, often serving as a mentor to the game's protagonist, Lloyd, when he's in a helpful mood. His shifts between good and evil help direct the game's story and flesh out Lloyd's conflicted feelings in regards to Kratos' allegiance.

It is revealed later in the game that Lloyd is actually Kratos' son, a revelation that shocks Llyod, who believed his parents were dead. Similarly, Kratos had believed his entire family was killed in a battle and had lost all meaning in his life. These events pushed him to his former comrade Mithos, the primary antagonist in Symphonia.

Kratos is a constantly conflicted character who is forced to choose between his comrades and his son, ultimately siding with his child to destroy the organization he helped build. The drama between Kratos and Lloyd is also quite interesting as they both have very different perceptions of the world. Kratos is an aloof character who takes very little interest in the world around him while his son fights desperately for even the smallest semblance of peace.

The redeemed villain is always something I like to see in a story and seeing games take that concept further is always nice. Having the ability to use a former villain as a new ally is always a good feeling and makes for deeper character connections.

Another example of this type of character is Jaffar from the original Fire Emblem game. This character's nickname is "The Angel of Death", given to him by the primary antagonist of the series, Nergal, after he found Jaffar as a child, sleeping on a pile corpses. He was trained as an assassin and seems to possess literally no emotions or remorse for those he kills. It is explained that he was under Nergal's control and that his actions were not his own but even after Jaffar escapes Nergal's control he still lacks emotions, for a while anyway.

Upon meeting a female rookie assassin by the name of Nino, Jaffar begins to change. The two of them are put on a mission together to assassinate a prince but when the moment comes for Nino to kill him she hesitates and cannot bring herself to do it. Upon realizing that the mission failed, Jaffar and Nino's employer turns on them both, seeking their death. Jaffar is wounded severely and expects Nino to kill him, respecting the order's way of killing the weak. Nino refuses and nurses Jaffar back to health, which baffles him.

At this point you're actually able to recruit both Nino and Jaffar into the main protagonist, Eliwood's/Hector's, party as they attempt to destroy Jaffar's old master, Nergal. Jaffar decides to stay with the party and protect Nino, whom he eventually falls in love with. In staying with Eliwood, Jaffar seeks to redeem his past actions and atone for all the lives he has taken. Through conversations with the other characters a significant change occurs in this character as he begins to develop an emotional component as he fears for Nino's life.

Overall I would say that these are some of the most interesting and dynamic characters that can be placed into a story. They represent the reality that there is the potential for even a good man to fall into the clutches of evil while also showing that even the filthiest soul can find redemption.

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Fest's Character Corner: The Rising Hero

So I decided I wanted to start doing a weekly "theme" post every Friday delving into the various character archetypes we commonly see in video games. I figured a good starting point would be the concept of the Hero as this would be the "main" character(s) in a story. To clarify a bit I want to talk about the "rising" hero which I'm defining as a type of character with humble beginnings that we follow along his/her rise to hero-dom.

So, why do we like this concept of the humble hero? Honestly I think it's because we can all identify with the concept of a hero starting off as nothing more than a normal person. Sometimes this unassuming hero gains his strength through supernatural means or perhaps chance but there is always a sort of defining moment in the story when that normal, small person becomes something so much more.

One of my favorite examples of this that has been fully fleshed out over many years doesn't even come from a video game, although he appears in many! That hero would be Goku from the anime classic, Dragon Ball (Z/GT). I've always loved Goku and have joked on more than one occasion that I need to write a book about how Goku shaped my moral compass as a kid but to me he's a perfect example of a hero.

For those reading this that may not be so familiar with this character's story he's an alien that's been sent to destroy the Earth but through a nice bump on the head he completely forgets about this mission and begins to develop into a moral paragon who would grow up to save the planet on numerous occasions.

The concepts of destiny are strewn throughout Dragonball but they are accompanied by an emphasis on hard work yielding results. Nothing is achieved without work and more often than not, sacrifice. These concepts become less true as the series progressed but Goku's rise from a little kid competing in his first martial arts tournament to fighting enemies strong enough to blow up planets on a whim demonstrates exactly what I'm talking about.

To get this a bit more specific to video games I'd also like to talk about the main character from one of my favorite games, Tales of Symphonia, a Gamecube classic. In this particular installment of the "Tales" series the main character is a young man named Lloyd. He is often depicted as a compassionate yet hot headed man with a deep concern for those he cares for. Throughout the game there are numerous people that almost overshadow Lloyd's leadership and force him to develop and adapt on the fly.

Lloyd also encounters numerous defeats and set backs along the way as a plot to eradicate humanity develops in front of him. In a lot of ways Lloyd seems like an unlikely leader, at the start of the game he really has very little experience with anything. As the story develops it almost drags Lloyd along with it, a concept that made him very appealing to me. The plot of this game also has a lot of uncertainties that call Lloyd's judgment into question and there are times where he is completely wrong and pays for it dearly. There is even a time where he is flung into a world parallel to his own with seemingly no hope of return. These obstacles helped define the character into something I valued and grew fond of.

A hero in crisis is often what people really want to see, stories just aren't interesting when the hero has it all figured out. Even in games like Devil May Cry the forever arrogant Dante still develops and adapts to his obstacles, despite his extremely laid back personality. Nobody wants to play a stagnant hero.

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Dishonored: First Look

When it comes to video games one might find that they see every single new release hyped up in a manner that is a bit more than acceptable, leading to some pretty bitter disappointments. Dishonored however, seems to be living up to the hype.

Dishonored is a stealth action game developed by Arkane Studios in cooperation with Bethesda Softworks. Arkane studios set out to redefine the concept of freedom in the stealth action genre and Dishonored seems to do just that, boasting an impressive amount of ways for players to accomplish the missions laid out in front of them. Along with this freedom to shape the story, Dishonored also equips the player with a multitude of supernatural abilities including things like short range teleporting, time distortion, and even corporeal possession.

Dishonored has fought for and won my attention in the past year through the use of tantalizing trailers and promises of unparalleled freedom. However, being the ever cautious person I am I didn’t want to overexcite myself and get disappointed by a sub-par finished project.  So, I decided to make playing the exclusive demo of Dishonored at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), a large gaming convention held in Seattle, WA, my top priority.

After several hours of enviously watching my peers get their chances with the game, it was finally my turn. I grasped the controller in my hands and dove into the scenario that had been laid in front of me. As I began to experiment with the controls I took a moment to survey my surroundings. This demo took place in a ruined portion of cityscape with collapsed stonework and disheveled residents wandering to and from my projected point of entry.

As I continued with the demo I shifted through my extensive physical and magical arsenal testing out various powers and weapons as I went, finding what suited me best. This process led me to a realization that made me quite happy, I actually didn’t need to fight any of the enemies in front of me to succeed in the mission I was given. Using a combination of time distortion and teleporting I managed to sneak my way into the primary mission location without inflicting a single casualty along the way.

Graphically, Dishonored is fantastically impressive with its steam punk style dystopian world. It sets a gloomy tone to the story as the main character, Corvo, sets out to clear his name of a crime he did not commit. Corvo is assisted by an enigmatic man known only as “The Outsider” who imparts upon him a seal and the ability to utilize supernatural abilities.

Dishonored brings a lot to the table for both stealth and action fans alike. With the freedom to choose how you’d like to go through the game, players will be able to have a personalized experience, different from their peers. Dishonored is a game that shouldn't be missed! It launches on October 9^th.

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