Clashing Curtains: Almost-There Characterization in Galaxy on Fire 2
“I’m not suiciding myself against the guns of the notorious Keith T. Maxwell,” cries my victim, begging for mercy.
For a moment, even I am fooled by the praise. “That’s right,” I think. “I am a force to be reckoned with,” I consider to myself, forgetting for a moment that most of my engagements end in a fiery wreck upwards of a dozen times before I ever see success. Yes, my foes all fall to me, eventually, but when it comes to suiciding against guns, that was a term more applicable to myself than anyone else in Galaxy on Fire 2.
Yet the victim of my bounty hunting felt differently, and this one throwaway line was surprisingly effective. At least it was for me, so near the target demographic of the game’s writing as I am, for Galaxy on Fire 2 is pure wish fulfillment for 10-25 year old white males – albeit discordantly so.
One-Hit Wonders: Unique Set Pieces in Yoshi’s Woolly World
I imagine most kids who sat down with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island in 1995 were startled to find that it was nothing at all like it’s predecessor – another Mario sequel screwjob, a la Super Mario Bros. 2. Unlike the latter non-sequel, however, I was nonetheless enthralled by Yoshi’s Island’s strange game, with its surreal Yoshis, bizarre enemies, and absurd crayon-drawings of levels. Beyond that, though, it did share one crucial piece of DNA with Super Mario World: unique level design. Both games featured levels with unique features, whether it be the dolphin platforming of Mario World’s Vanilla Secret 3 or the psychedelics of Yoshi’s Island Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy. Let us not fail to mention Yoshi’s Island’s truly bananas boss battles either.
The same DNA exists in Yoshi’s Woolly World, which we played through over the spring. Crayons may be replaced with yarn, but the bold willingness to feature a single mechanic for a single stage remains – and what a joy it remains.
A Revival
One of my favorite things about storytelling is the study of themes. Whether its man’s insignificance in Godzilla (2014) or the significance of knowledge and understanding in Bloodborne, I love when I can get excited about themes and a piece of work’s methods for communicating those themes.
I also have an enormous backlog of literature, video games, and films that I cannot possibly finish in this lifetime yet prefer to drop in a list of lies where I can pretend that they will all be finished one day, yes, soon, soon!
So this is just a little blog for me to both record my progress through that infinite obligation and my musings about the themes I encounter as I go. And for those works which don’t have much to say in the way of anything, I will nevertheless endeavor to pull out something to chew on, however bland. In either the case, the idea is to take one idea or concept from each work and see how well that idea works – or how it doesn’t.
Let’s get on with it then!
Two Bits 