Originality and the Importance of Passion in Storytelling
In my last article I wrote of the importance of originality and passion when crafting a story in any medium. Media companies get a taste of success and end up rushing out copycats, sequels, prequels, and more without thinking too much about why the first effort was a success and what truly made it connect with its audience. Often, what we end up with is a mass of titles weaker than the original. Things get diluted and it gets easier to spot a TV series, or a film that has been released to cash in on a current trend instead of being something that has been created with passion and heart. Just after the last article was released, I was left with a dilemma. I love my story-driven games, the darker and more epic the better for me. Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us… the list goes on. I’m happy to give hundreds of hours to a game with a decent story and as a young adult, this is what I’d do—although, getting older meant more responsibilities and less time to play all the games I want.
And then Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion suddenly dropped. It was a remaster for the Xbox Series X of a game that I absolutely loved as a teenager and I couldn’t believe I’d have the chance to play an updated version, knowing that I’d be spending at least 100 hours completing it. But then, something happened that I didn’t expect. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I heard the hype, I saw something growing in the game community around this game that had come from nowhere with incredible voice acting, a story like no other, and a beauty in its design made by a small team making a choice that fans still wanted life in turn-based combat RPGs. Now, I only had time to start one of these games and thinking about that article in the latest Grimdark Magazine, I had to be true to myself and I chose Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
And my god I am glad that I did.
I’m not here to review the game (it’s incredible though, just go play it now), instead, I found that the game truly proved the importance of passion in storytelling. The developers spoke of their love of old school Japanese RPGs (in particular Final Fantasy) and that shines throughout every aspect of the game. But Expedition 33 isn’t some knock off or some clone. It is an original story and game wearing those games that have inspired it on its sleeve for all to see. I know there are some who claim that there are no truly original stories anymore and I understand that concept but there are ways of putting a spin on those that have come before. Expedition 33 plays it to perfection. It’s a blend of familiar and comforting and new and exciting.
Set in an alternate Belle Epoque France, the story centres around the Gommage, and event where each year, a goddess called The Paintress paints a new number on a monolith and everyone at or above that age disappears. Knowing in advance they would die, those with a year left to live often join expeditions to travel towards The Paintress and work out a way of halting this event and saving humanity. None have succeeded thus far and at the start of the game, you join Expedition 33. It is beautiful, dark, brutal, unforgiving, and just brilliant throughout. There are a lot of elements in the game that I recognise: turn-based combat, levelling up, relationship building, and so on, but every time I noticed someone I had seen before, there was a fresh spin on it that made it feel new and different.
The developers could have taken the lazy (and easy) option and just felt confident in their already brilliant story and then just used the same game mechanics we see elsewhere. No one would have moaned about it, the story would have still been lauded all over but they didn’t just do it. They knew they could create something unique, something special. They took care in developing every aspect of the game and giving the players something that stood out, even beside a juggernaut like Elder Scrolls. They cared about this game and that passion shines through every level you play through, it gives it so much heart and that makes the story even more powerful and memorable. The cherry on top of the brilliant bloody cake is the amazing voice actors. Voice actors who were chosen in blind auditions that landed an amazing cast with experience from Final Fantasy XVI, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Andy Serkis himself! And then they chose to sell the game much cheaper than the stupid prices most new games are released at. So, it is possible to create a much-loved, near flawless game without excruciating prices—it’s almost like they cared about people playing their game…
The reviews for Expedition 33 show that this fresh take has paid off. It is one of the best reviewed games of all time and millions of players have taken it into their hearts and are craving more. Whilst I would love to see more from the interesting world, I hope that as much love, care, and attention goes into anything from this team as it is an antithesis to those lazy games that get churned out quickly to cash in on player demand and feel soulless. Expedition 33 deserves much more than that and I feel like the team know that. At the end of the day, I feel like I definitely made the right choice with Expedition 33. I’ll get around to Oblivion, but after what feels like a thousand versions of Skyrim being released over the last decade, I don’t mind having an extended break from anything Elder Scrolls related.
It wasn’t just the gaming world that came through with a passionate and well-constructed release since I last wrote. In the realm of TV, Andor blew my mind. Now, I’m a Star Wars fan, always have been and always will be. I’ve read the books, played the games, watched all the TV series (and there’s a lot!) and of course devoured the films. As a fan, I recognise that some of that output has been absolute drivel. The latest trilogy had moments that made me smile but overall, it bored the hell out of me. I didn’t mind too much, I could always go back to watch the films I liked and watch the numerous excellent animated series released in the Star Wars world. Some of the recent shows have been good, but nothing has really blown me away.
Then Andor came along.
This is how you create something original and with passion in a world created by others. This is how you expand on what has come before with a well-known intellectual property. Andor is a show that has been put together with passion and love and an awareness that it didn’t have to be like what has come before. It treats its audience as adults and doesn’t fall back on lazy easter eggs for a cheap pop from those watching. The episodes and scenes within are memorable because they are made for this viewing experience and no other. If you haven’t seen anything else to do with Star Wars, you would still be able to follow Andor and witness its brilliance. Every line delivered, every costume worn, every word choice and music played is done with absolute attention to detail. Tony Gilroy, the creator of Andor, pulls everything together like a great conductor and weaves a masterful story that stands against the greatest of TV shows released this century.
Creators who are allowed to use their love, their passion, and their inspirations to bring their work to life always end up creating things that stand out and are appreciated. Andor breathes new life into the Star Wars world. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 seems to have brought back turn-based combat RPGs. Prey did something similar with the Predator universe like Alien: Romulus did for Alien. Passion truly does shine through and something original stays longer in the memory than any cheap imitation. I hope these examples are wake up calls across the industry that show what audiences want with their content. Both George RR Martin and Brandon Sanderson have recently spoken of how Hollywood has a habit of diluting stories with too many writers and differing ideas. Both Expedition 33 and Andor thrived without that stifling environment—Tony Gilroy said that the only note Disney gave him for Andor was to not say, ‘Fuck the Empire’. Stories that resonate come from the heart and passion will always shine through in these original stories. I hope these latest reminders give publishers food for thought when thinking of what to develop next.
This article was first published in Grimdark Magazine Issue #43
The post Originality and the Importance of Passion in Storytelling appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.
