Is Western/European Fantasy Worn Out?
Some of you may have seen this article, About fantasy: Please let there be a dragon extinction, by Ryan Perez posted last week on Destructoid. It’s worth a read but I’ll summarize: Mr. Perez laments that the majority of western produced fantasy games tend to feature the same base mythology and creatures. Dragons, elves, goblins, trolls, wizards, etc all tend to be cut and pasted from game to game. By and large, I agree with him. Mainstream western fantasy games tend not to stray far from the Tolkein-esque fare we have all grown accustomed to (Skyrim and Dragon’s Dogma are two recent examples) and it would be a breath of fresh air if more western developers explored some other mythologies/cultures. However, there are a couple of points I want to comment on.
First, Mr. Perez attributes the stereotypical western fantasy tropes largely to Scandanavian mythology. While it is true that dragons, elves, trolls, etc are all featured in Scandanavian folklore, they are not exclusive to it. Variations of these creatures are common throughout many European mythologies. So rather than doing away with the current archetype for European fantasy, I say game devs should dig deeper. Despite many similarities, European mythologies are more diverse and interesting than has been presented in many games. Let’s have a game explore a more pure version of Norse mythology, Slavic mythology, or delve into the older Germanic mythos. So, to answer the title question, yes, but only the generic version that is becoming overused. European mythology still has more depth to offer.
I know he’s just another dragon, but he’s just so spunky and purple.
Mr. Perez points out that Japanese games tend to have more variety in the fantasy genre than do western developers and highlights Jade Empire as an exception. While Jade Empire is certainly a fine example, there are other examples as well, and I wanted to list some of my favorites, both from western and eastern developers.
- Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem—a very unique mythos, definitely worth playing
- Shin Megami Tensei series (especially the Persona games)—the personas and demons featured in any of the MegaTen games are pulled from mythologies all around the world; the Persona games also immerse the player in the daily life of a Japanese high school student, complete with rigorous exams, shrine visits, and Golden Week, as examples
- Catherine—though made by the Persona team, I consider it separate, just the inclusion of a succubus made for an original monster
- NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits—a fun downloadable title based on Greek mythology
- God of War series—while I have only played the first game, they are a notable example due to the immersion in Greco-Roman mythology and the series success
- Folklore—early action-RPG on the PS3 that draws heavily from Germanic mythology (I think…..I’m a biologist, not an anthropologist)
So what do you all think? What are some of your favorite mythologies presented in video games? What mythologies do you want to see adapted into a game?
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I think some tropes of fantasy games are overused (making most Western-RPG fantasies kind of blend together), but I certainly don’t think that means it’s worn out. I think it just means developers need to explore more of what’s there, to greater effect. I’d love to see a game tap more into different European cultures. What about something that touches on Slavic myths, and does that exclusively? Or something focused on Norse mythology? Dragons, orcs, elves, and dwarves have been used a lot, and admittedly a lot of Western fantasy typically goes to Tolkien-inspired areas first. I think that’s where Destructoid’s author makes a mistake: he equates Tolkien fantasy with all Western fantasy, which simply isn’t true.
Eternal Darkness definitely gets a Lovecraftian vibe, which makes it far more interesting. And Folklore’s heavy focus on the Germanic Grimm’s stories make it stand out, certainly. I also love the setting of ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, which just seems difficult to categorize.
You know me though, I’m a sucker for the worlds in Japanese games and JRPGs. I believe they have some of the best, most interesting worlds to explore. That’s why I love games like:
-Skies of Arcadia. Bands of pirates living on floating islands, making a living against a tyrannical empire. The game has so much charm and style.
-Alundra. More Western-inspired dungeon crawler fantasy here, but it has some really unique inspirations. The dreamwalking ability certainly makes it stand out. It draws on monsters like werewolves, but also on mummies and golems.
-Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma. Three loosely linked games, all with exceptional worlds to explore. Soul Blazer had some fun worlds, especially since you basically go around restoring everything. Illusion of Gaia also seemed to have a lot of places inspired by real world locations, like Angkor Wat.
-Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Okami. My sentiments can really extend to both games. They are both such beautiful games, but the stories, the creatures, and the worlds make them really interesting to play.
-Odin Sphere. Like Valkyrie Profile, it’s an interesting look at Norse myths through a Japanese lens, but it’s just so stunning to look at. I was interested in all of the creatures
There are so many others I could go on about, like the Wild ARMs series (with its weird blend of Wild West, fantasy, and science fiction), Earthbound/Mother, Sweet Home, the Shin Megami Tensei series, Chrono Trigger/Cross, and more.
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Personally I don’t think fantasy is worn out at all, from either Western of Eastern developers. There are always countless stories to be told, and while it’s true we’re seeing an overabundance of dragons, it comes in waves. Look at the Twilight generation, now everything has vampires or werewolves in it. The same is true of zombies, they’re all over the place. Even though we have reached a saturation point for many of these different things, I still believe that real quality will always shine through. For all those zombie movies, TV shows and books out there, Kirkman was able to create a compelling and emotional roller coaster ride with The Walking Dead (comics). I think the same logic holds true with gaming too. While dragons and whatnot may be overused, we’ll always get someone who comes out and shatters our expectations.