There are two games - Okami and Persona 3 - I'm playing right now that seem to be reaching the same point*. In each, I've been running around, beating various monsters that have endangered the populace. It's been good: Saving lives, getting stronger, earning the love and adulation of the grateful masses**.
Except now it seems that was a mistake. By killing all these boss monsters, I've created an opening for the rise of an even greater, more devastating evil. It's frustrating, because, for one thing, I didn't know that was going to happen, and for another, what was I supposed to do even if I did know? Was I supposed to not kill Orochi, the multi-headed dragon, who would become god-like if he consumed 100 maidens? Of course not. That's what makes it such a good plan by the bad guys. I couldn't very well ignore these lesser, but still significant threats, but now I'm faced with the Lord of Darkness in one game, and Death itself in the other. A multi-headed dragon is small potatoes, comparatively.
I'm surprised I don't see that ploy more often in superhero comics. A mastermind villain tricking the hero into doing their dirty work, like the Avengers-Defenders War. Dormammu and Loki tricked those teams into gathering all the pieces of the Evil Eye, allowing Dormammu to gradually take control of the heroes' dimension. It's not as though comic book writers don't enjoy sending waves of challenges at heroes these days. They prefer to present it as a way to exhaust the hero so the mastermind can win more readily. That seems to fit with the shift in villainous schemes, where it's often about revenge on the hero, rather than some larger criminal plot.
* I thought Wild Arms 3, another game I'm working through, was going to go the same way, but it didn't. I'm not that far along yet, so maybe things will change.
** In Okami I'm praised, anyway. The heroics in Persona 3 are done secretly, so no one is showering us with gifts and cheers.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment