Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 169

Good Villains Make You Feel Emotion

Good Villains Make You Feel Emotion - Samantha Lienhard

Two weeks ago, Tales of Symphonia’s villain ripped out my heart and steamrolled it. Consequently, I now like him more than ever.

I’m not going to spoil anything about Tales of Symphonia, although it’s quickly becoming my favorite RPG (if not my favorite game) of all time. Instead, I’m going to talk a little bit about villains and then take this opportunity to cover one of my favorite topics–how much I hated Final Fantasy XIII! Consequently, this post WILL contain Final Fantasy XIII spoilers, and while I didn’t appreciate its story, you might not want it spoiled for you. If so, why not read about an RPG I liked, instead?

Hero, antihero, or villain, we love Raist either way.

Someday, I’ll write a full rant review/discussion of FFXIII, but today I just want to talk about its villain. Because FFXIII’s villain is awful. See, good villains make you feel emotion–any emotion. It can be sadness and anger, like my experience with Symphonia. It can be fear or uneasiness, as I’ve mentioned in the past. Maybe you love the villain’s humor or style. Maybe you sympathize with the character and wish things could work out differently. Maybe you feel hatred so strong, you just can’t wait to take down the villain.

But you should feel something.

Raistlin Majere, from Dragonlance is a great example of a villain who causes many different emotions all at once. He might be the most beloved character in the series, even when he’s evil. (Raistlin resides on a revolving door between antiheroism and villainy.) Even characters in-universe comment on how everyone can sympathize with him and his motives for the terrible things he does.

There are many villains out there like Raistlin, and maybe it’s a misguided attempt to balance this that leaves us with villains like Final Fantasy XIII’s Barthandelus, who makes the audience feel nothing at all.

Okay, I’m sure Barthandelus has his fans. But for my part, I felt nothing. I didn’t love him. I didn’t hate him.

I just didn’t care.

Let’s start by taking a look at how we first meet Barthandelus, or rather–and here begin the spoilers–Primarch Dysley.

All right, so at this point in the story, we’ve seen the guy trying to kill us, so it’s obvious he’s the (or at least a) villain. Thanks to Sazh, we even know who he is. Plus he gets a Datalog entry, so we can learn stuff they didn’t otherwise know how to tell us:

Galenth Dysley is the Primarch–the human representative of the Sanctum. Acting as a bridge between the fal’Cie Eden and a citizen-elected council, he facilitates the government of Cocoon.

“Until now, he has been seen as a conservative leader, never forcing the direction of the council, and always having the best interests of the people at heart. But with the discovery of the Pulse fal’Cie in Bodhum, his leadership becomes ruthless and oppressive, with the Purge policy being instigated over the span of a single night.”

That really seems like the sort of thing we should have learned through the storytelling… but I suppose without any TOWNS, FFXIII couldn’t really show us how people viewed the Primarch. (Imagine how Tales of Symphonia would struggle to introduce us to the Desians without NPC townspeople to guide our impressions. We’ll get back to this.)

Clunky though its handling is, FFXIII’s structure has shown us a villain. From this point on, he should be a major, compelling villain, right? So, when’s the next time we see him?

Gotta give him a little credit–Dysley really wants to be sinister here. I think he might even want to be Chancellor Palpatine executing Order 66. Since we’ve seen him for all of 30 seconds, though, it fails to carry the same weight.

All right, time for the big reveal!

There is a major problem here. This is supposed to be a huge twist–Primarch Dysley is actually the fal’Cie Barthandelus. But why should we CARE? It would be one thing if he’d been presented as a good guy or at least an antihero. It would even work if he’d had a strong role in the story as a villain before this, a long-running nemesis suddenly revealing his true power. Or maybe if we thought the fal’Cie were the good guys, it would be a shock to realize the villain is one of them.

But this? An evil human we’ve seen only twice before reveals himself as an evil demigod. The biggest twist in this scene is that he kills his own second-in-command (because… uh… evil?), which doubles as a disappointment since Jihl Nabaat already had the potential to be a more interesting villain than him.

So, Barthandelus has manipulated us into becoming l’Cie to force us to kill the fal’Cie Orphan, which will bring about the destruction of Cocoon and revive the Maker. This leads to the crux of the plot–trying to find a way to save Cocoon even though we’re being forced to follow Barthandelus’s plans. I actually like that. For all I complain about FFXIII’s story, I think it had real potential. This plot premise should put us in a real moral quandary and make us hate Barthandelus.

And maybe it would if the game made us care about Cocoon.

Destroying Cocoon is a bad thing. Lots of people will die. That’s bad.

I just wish the game had made me more attached to Cocoon, so I could feel something other than the objective knowledge that people will die and that’s wrong. Remember how I said Tales of Symphonia’s towns help us understand the Desians? They also make us care about the world.

Without towns, without notable NPC actions, without exploration, I felt no connection to Final Fantasy XIII’s world. I had no personal stake in the fight against Barthandelus. Even in his subsequent appearances, he never did anything to make me care.

Now, I’m not saying every game needs a compelling villain. Some focus on gameplay instead of story, and then it’s just fine to have bad guy you fight just because it’s the bad guy. However, Final Fantasy is a story-driven series in a traditionally story-driven genre, and Final Fantasy XIII is no different. It even sacrificed gameplay to lock the player into a rigid plot structure (essentially the opposite of what Sticker Star did), but it didn’t follow through with a worthy story.

Final Fantasy XIII’s Barthandelus is not a complex enough character to make us care about him, and the game’s storytelling fails to make us care about his actions. All in all, he’s one of the worst villains I’ve ever seen. Someday, I’ll play Final Fantasy XIII-2 and see whether its villain is much of an improvement. He certainly couldn’t be worse.

All right, Barthandelus fans, feel free to tell me how I’m wrong. Everyone else, share with us the villains that have disappointed you the most. In the meantime, I’ll go back to playing Tales of Symphonia.

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MadWorld Sequel Tease or Just an Anniversary Celebration?

MadWorld Sequel Tease or Just an Anniversary Celebration? - Samantha Lienhard

Let’s get this out of the way first: I know next to nothing about MadWorld. Thanks to Wikipedia, I know it’s a beat ‘em up game that came out in 2009 for the Wii. So if I had to look it up to learn even that much, why do I care about it at all? Because it was the first game developed by the creators of Bayonetta. If you don’t know how I feel about those games… welcome to the blog! You must be new.

MadWorld came out on March 10, 2009. That’s probably why the developer has been Tweeting about it… starting with a post on March 7 that taught me I shouldn’t refer to the company as “Platinum Games.”

When will someone figure out there's no space in the name PlatinumGames! pic.twitter.com/roWVnKPLCP

— PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) March 8, 2015

However, PlatinumGames let the actual anniversary pass without a word, but came back the next day (four days after the first post) with a new piece of MadWorld art.

Anyone up for a game of baseball? pic.twitter.com/o12eiti7vK

— PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) March 12, 2015

That was March 11. Four days after that–yesterday–a third image was posted.

Don't call me Enzo, all right? Wouldn't want nothing to happen to that pretty face of yours. pic.twitter.com/lLB7WS3qGs

— PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) March 16, 2015

Why the sudden interest in MadWorld? Why four days in between Tweets? Is this just a celebration of the game’s anniversary without using the word, or is this a tease for MadWorld 2? (Or… whatever it would be called. Someone more familiar with these games, please chime in and explain how Anarchy Reigns is sort of a sequel to MadWorld.)

Lots of MadWorld fans are hoping for a sequel. Some are even theorizing that it will be announced at an upcoming Nintendo Direct, since we haven’t had one in a while. And of course, Kamiya’s non-answers could mean anything.

Maybe we’ll find out more in four days.

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FreezeME Coming to Wii U

FreezeME Coming to Wii U - Samantha Lienhard

Wii U owners, you have another 3D platformer to look forward to! When I named FreezeME as one of my top upcoming 3D platformers, I mentioned that the developer hoped to bring it to the Wii U, in addition to the systems it was already planned for (PC, Mac, and Linux). Well, now it’s official.

As you can see, the trailer also ends with a promise that FreezeME is on its way to Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign isn’t up yet, but the developer is working on the FreezeME Kickstarter video, images, and even reward tiers. That suggests it’s coming soon, so keep an eye on the Facebook page! I’ll probably share an announcement with my social media sites as well.

I can’t wait to learn more about FreezeME, and the Kickstarter for Fiona Frightening should be on its way soon, too. In the meantime, I still have plenty of content in the A Hat in Time alpha to uncover.

Of all the 3D platformers we’ve seen so far, which one do you like the most?

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Today is a #PitMad Day

Today is a #PitMad Day - Samantha Lienhard

When other writers ask about useful Twitter hashtags, one I almost always mention is #pitmad.

Short for “Pitch Madness,” #PitMad is a special day on Twitter when authors can Tweet pitches for their completed novels, and agents favorite the Tweets if they’re interested in an official query. While it may be difficult to come up with a pitch under 140 characters long–and multiple versions of it, since Twitter won’t like you sending out duplicate Tweets throughout the day–it’s a fun way to get your idea in front of agents and see if anyone is interested!

If you have a novel ready to send to agents and you want to participate, check out the official rules. I’m participating in this #PitMad with The Nightbringer, the novel I worked on for NaNoWriMo 2014. Here’s hoping for success for all of us!

These days are held quarterly, and the next one is set for June 4. Good luck!

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A Hat in Time Beta is Now Out!

A Hat in Time Beta is Now Out! - Samantha Lienhard

By now you know I love 3D platformers, and one name rises to the top whenever I discuss upcoming games in the genre:

As a Kickstarter backer of A Hat in Time, one of the best-looking collect-a-thons in development, I got to try out the alpha a year ago, and I absolutely loved it. Even though it was just an alpha build with two levels made available to testers, it was a lot of fun and had enough content to keep me playing for hours.

Now, at last, the beta of A Hat in Time has been released to backers! Not only does it contain improvements based on the alpha test feedback, but it also features a vertical slice of the game’s content. We’ll spend much more time in Mafia Town, see a new level from the Subcon Forest (and re-visit our dear Queen Vanessa), and visit the start of the Trainwreck of Science!

I’ve already started the beta, and while Mafia Town is familiar, there are definitely some new things. I can’t wait to get even further and see more of what A Hat in Time has to offer.

As with the alpha, I’ll write up a post on my thoughts later. I also hope to upload A Hat in Time beta footage, so subscribe to my Youtube channel if you want to see it as soon as I post it!

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New Edition of The Accidental Zombie Now Available

New Edition of The Accidental Zombie Now Available - Samantha Lienhard

If you haven’t read my horror/comedy novella The Accidental Zombie yet, there’s never been a better time!

Following a few reviews that pointed out flaws with the novella, I went back through and revised it. Not only that, but the print version has been redone with a better cover (don’t worry, the cover image itself remains the same), and even a new, lower price when you buy it straight from my publisher!

You can buy the newly revised edition of The Accidental Zombie at Kellan Publishing for $0.99 (ebook) or $8.00 (print).

If you prefer Amazon to the lower price, you can also buy it there for $6.99 (ebook) or $8.00 (print).

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Don’t Forget the Clive ‘N’ Wrench Kickstarter

Don’t Forget the Clive ‘N’ Wrench Kickstarter - Samantha Lienhard

If you enjoyed my post on upcoming 3D platformers, you were probably interested in my subsequent 3D platformer posts as well.

One of the games I discussed, Clive ‘N’ Wrench (called Clive and the Stones of the Ancient Bunnies at the time) didn’t have its Kickstarter going at the time I wrote about it, but it does now.

Clive and Wrench themselves have undergone a bit of a change since we last saw them, with their character models changed slightly to make them look friendlier. We’ve also learned some new details about the world structure, such as the giant celestial clock that serves as the hub world, with doors to 10 worlds in different eras.

The game has 18 more days to make its £25,000 goal, so head on over to the Kickstarter page to learn more about it and maybe even help it out.

Meanwhile, I still don’t know anything about the eventual Fiona Frightening Kickstarter, but you can now listen to the theme song. It’s pretty awesome and has a definite Nightmare Before Christmas vibe.

What do you think about these two 3D platformers?

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Blood of Elves: Ciri’s Story Begins

Blood of Elves: Ciri’s Story Begins - Samantha Lienhard

After our look at The Last Wish, I checked out the fan translation of Sword of Destiny to make sure I had the necessary knowledge for the story (since it sets up an important plot point), and moved on to the next book in the Witcher series.

Unlike the previous two, Blood of Elves is a full fantasy novel, without the strange fairy tale overtones. It continues Ciri’s storyline, which seems to extend into The Witcher 3.

(If you’ve read The Last Wish but you don’t intend to read Sword of Destiny, Ciri is Pavetta’s daughter, and therefore bound to Geralt by destiny.)

Make no mistake, despite the cover of my copy prominently displaying Geralt and the back description emphasizing his responsibility, this book is very much about Ciri.

Geralt does have some important scenes, as he struggles against sinister forces that are searching for the girl–some for political reasons, some for reasons left unknown. These forces get some key moments of their own, and a sizable section is devoted to other world powers dealing with war, politics, and the potential that Ciri might be alive. Those chapters in particular are very dialogue-heavy, which is one of my few complaints about the novel. I enjoy dialogue, but some stretches contained so little description or action that even I felt a bit put out.

On the other hand, a few dialogue-only scenes used the format to their advantage to surprise the reader in a way they couldn’t if they included the action. For example, in one such exchange, Lambert guides Ciri through combat exercises, sprinkled with taunts and mockery from him, only to reveal at the very end that she’s been blindfolded the entire time. While it would have been pretty cool to see her performing these moves blindfolded, the unexpected revelation at the end makes its impact greater.

The majority of the book focuses on Ciri’s combat training at Kaer Morhern, her journey with Triss and Geralt, and her magic training with Yennefer. In this way, we not only get to see Ciri as she grows from the child in Sword of Destiny to a young woman skilled in both combat and magic, we also get to see new dimensions of other characters–particularly Yennefer, who is much more sympathetic here, with hints of her softer side.

My only complaint about the plot itself is that it is not very self-contained. While the short story collections could stand on their own, this novel needs its sequel. It introduces conflicts and questions, but resolves very few of them. It focuses on Ciri’s development and sets up a plot, as you might expect if this was just the first part of a larger novel.

That said, it’s an enjoyable setup, and I’ll be interested to see where the next book takes the plot. Bottom line, if you enjoyed the previous entries in the Witcher novel series and/or are interested in learning more about Ciri, check out Blood of Elves.

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I’m Now a Ninja Vault Editor

I’m Now a Ninja Vault Editor - Samantha Lienhard

Good news, everyone! I’m going to be involved in the creation of a video game (note: this has nothing to do with my ChoiceScript game, which is a separate project). I’ve joined Ninja Vault, an indie team working on an action RPG/point-and-click adventure game called Parachronism: Order of Chaos.

Parachronism is about a girl sent back through time, and the chaos that ensues (time travel can be a tricky business). I can’t say much else about it right now, but I’ll be working on the project as a proofreader and editor. Ninja Vault anticipates a release later this year, so stay tuned!

That’s my good news for you.

In sad news, the world lost Leonard Nimoy today. I’m crushed, especially since Spock was always my favorite Star Trek character. I almost dedicated this blog post just to him, but I felt too unhappy every time I tried to start.

Live long and prosper, everyone.

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Basic Ace Attorney Timeline

Basic Ace Attorney Timeline - Samantha Lienhard

Through the power of Google Analytics and other useful website tools, I’ve discovered that a lot of people come here looking for an Ace Attorney timeline. I can only assume they leave in disappointment, since my guide to the Ace Attorney gameplay order just lists each game in chronological order, rather than the cases.

Since so many people come here looking for a Phoenix Wright timeline, though, it’s in all of our interests for me to create one!

Now, the Ace Attorney wiki has a complete timeline that contains births, deaths, and all sorts of other information. Mine will be more basic: I’m just going to give you the timeline of cases and most important events. I’ll try to avoid spoilers.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the style commonly used to number cases, I’ll give the game number and then the case number, such as 1-1 to represent the first case of the first game.

1 – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

2 – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All

3 – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations

I – Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

4 – Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

5 – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies

Keep in mind that I’m not including Ace Attorney Investigations 2 in this timeline. If it’s ever localized, I’ll add it, as well as any others that come out, such as Dai Gyakuten Saiban.

Ace Attorney Case Timeline

Class Trial (2001)

The DL-6 Incident (December 28, 2001)

The KG-8 Incident (2009)

Case I-4: Turnabout Reminiscence (September 10, 2012)

Case 3-4: Turnabout Beginnings (February 16, 2013)

Case 3-1: Turnabout Memories (April 11, 2014)

The SL-9 Incident/Joe Darke Killings begin (September 2014)

The SL-9 Incident/Joe Dark Killings end (February 19, 2015)

Case 1-1: The First Turnabout (August 3, 2016)

Case 1-2: Turnabout Sisters (September 5-9, 2016)

Case 1-3: Turnabout Samurai (October 16-20, 2016)

Case 1-4: Turnabout Goodbyes (December 25-28, 2016)

Case 1-5: Rise from the Ashes (February 22-25, 2017)

Case 2-2: Reunion, and Turnabout (June 16, 19-22, 2017)

Case 2-1: The Lost Turnabout (September 8, 2017)

Case 2-3: Turnabout Big Top (December 28-30, 2017)

Case 2-4: Farewell, My Turnabout (March 20-23, 2018)

Case 3-2: The Stolen Turnabout (October 11-13, 2018)

Case 3-3: Recipe for Turnabout (December 3-4, 2018)

Case 3-5: Bridge to the Turnabout (February 7-10, 2019)

All the events of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, though they may be non-canon. (Dates are unclear, but must occur before April 19)

Case I-2: Turnabout Airlines (March 12, 2019)

Case I-3: The Kidnapped Turnabout (March 13, 2019)

Case I-1: Turnabout Visitor (March 14, 2019)

Case I-5: Turnabout Ablaze (March 14-15, 2019)

Case 4-4: Turnabout Succession past (April 19 and May 13, 2019)

The UR-1 Incident (October 7, 2020)

Case 4-1: Turnabout Trump (April 20, 2026)

Case 4-2: Turnabout Corner (June 15-17, 2026)

Case 4-3: Turnabout Serenade (July 7-10, 2016)

Case 4-4: Turnabout Succession present (October 7-9, 2026)

Case 5-2: The Monstrous Turnabout (April 17-19, 2027)

Case 5-6: Turnabout Reclaimed (July 20-22, 2027)

Case 5-3: Turnabout Academy (October 24-26, 2027)

Case 5-4: The Cosmic Turnabout first part (December 16, 2027)

Case 5-1: Turnabout Countdown (December 17-18, 2027)

Case 5-4: The Cosmic Turnabout second part (December 19-20, 2027)

Case 5-5: Turnabout for Tomorrow (December 20, 2027)

There you have it a basic timeline of the currently-localized Ace Attorney cases. Did I leave out anything critical? Make any mistakes? Let me know in the comments below, and I hope this helps!

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