Sunday, April 14, 2024
Fight Start!
As
a style of gameplay Fighting Games are at once wonderfully expressive
and yet incredibly restrictive and so combining them with visual
novels make for an interesting hybrid. The primary feature which
binds the two together is their heavy focus on characters and
invoking strong emotions through their expressiveness. Visual novels
offer the chance for fighting games to expand on those characters in
a direct narrative where they can be explored in more depth than just before battle conversations. This is especially true for Fighting
Games which are spin-offs from a story heavy game series and need to meet the audience's expectations for storytelling while merging smoothly with the combat on offer. Let’s allow the
wheel of fate to turn and see how these two gameplay styles are able
to form a harmonious hybrid.
Selling The Characters
Larger
than life personalities define the Fighting Game. Since the characters have so
few chances to show the player who they are, these games make the
most out of each second of it. However, on the flip-side this also
makes them feel flat and lacking the depth and emotions needed to pass as a believable person. To compensate for this weakness the visual
novel can provide a means of expanding on the characters established
by the Fighting Game in an environment where their personalities can be shown off
while not feel out of place. This is due to how visual novels
naturally lean into character centric stories and it allows the
conflicts depicted in each section to blend together through how they focus
on the same key notes of a story with differing levels of details. On
the reverse side a Fighting Game can express events in a much more
direct and player interactive manner and so it can create a more
intimate experience by punctuating key moments of the visual novel with these combat
encounters. They act as highlights which increase tension and allows
the visual novel to focus on the surrounding events without having to
spend time depicting complicated fight scenes.
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| Characters are the foundation of a Fighting Game |
Having the two form a
hybrid helps sell the characters which are the main attraction of
both in a more holistic manner than either could achieve on their
own. UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH provides a good example of how this shared
focus on characters enhances what each part has to offer. Its modern
fantasy setting where people possessing unique magical powers clash
is a perfect breeding ground for the mechanics of a fighting game and
the drama of a visual novel. The powers match the expressiveness of
the characters allowing them to maintain a sense of continuity
between combat and story through the way they frame the characters
and expand on different elements. By jumping backwards and forwards
between the two halves and their magical powers, the game can keep
the characters fresh and provide a means for the player to feel what
it is like to be them from an immediate and an emotional perspective.
There is also a level of narrative tension offered by the player's
direct involvement as they feel a desire to help the characters they
have come to love through the story and might choose to continue to
play them after it is over.
Substitute For Another Style Of Narrative
Sometimes
this hybrid is born because the game is a spin-off of is known
for its narrative focus. Here the visual novel elements act as a
substitute for the storytelling style of the original titles while
not being as invasive to the Fight Game when compared to something like a full blown RPG.
A spin-off aims to offer the fans something new without challenging
them or investing too many resources into the game’s creation and
so the visual novel is a cost effective and easy to understand
stand-in for what their audience expects. This is often a tightly
told narrative where the characters get a chance to show the traits
the player has come to love without changing over the course of the
game so the main series does not have to deal with the events of a
spin-off. Battles seek to express the characters in the same expected
way by showcasing their unique skills through their combat moves with each one being a nod to their original
appearance. Working in tandem, this simulates the titles it is based
off and provides a dose of something new for the players to inject life into their love for this world and its characters in an
organic manner. Choosing a more complicated system of narrative
expression than a visual novel could alienate or confuse the players
as they have would to grapple with a disconnect between story and
battle mechanics while a visual novel provides a clean and clear
method of storytelling designed here to be as modular as possible.
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| The spin-off does not have to work as hard to impress an already invested player |
Let us take a look at Persona 4 Arena, a spin-off of the successful Persona
series, as it shows how the merger of these two halves is flexible
and meets player expectations for the story. Coming from a JRPG
environment the players expect a certain style of story and character
interactions so the visual novel acts a conduit to imitate a Persona
narrative. The previous focus on characters allows the game to lean
into this synergy between the visual novel and Fighting Game halves
to capture the essence of the original cast in a way which will be
entertaining across its entire playtime. This is helped by the game
being given room to introduce its own characters who exist to have
the development that the main cast cannot and this gives the title a space
where the unique aspects of this hybrid can be put to full use
without the limitation of an established personality. In their
totality these pieces allow for a smooth transition between the main
series and this spin-off while still have enough of its own flair to
keep the player engaged.
Narrative Ambition
Not
all Fighting Games are satisfied with being just an expressions of
their characters where the gameplay is the only attraction. There are
a subset of them which have grander narrative ambitions with a desire
to utilise their many characters to tell a sprawling tale. Merging
with a visual novel is an option to achieve this approach which is at
once flexible to their needs and simple and cost effective to
implement. Visual novels can present the complex narratives the
designers want while keeping the character focus of the Fighting Game
front and centre. Compared to other methods of storytelling like an
RPG or Cinematic style cutscenes it lacks the more immediate strength
of their impactful moments due to its more abstract nature, but in
exchange it can easily express intricate ideas and engage in route
based stories. So rather than simply being the best option for a
merger with Fighting Games, it is instead a narrative style which
offers a specific toolbox that a subset of Fighting Games lean into
due to their desire for intimate and complex storytelling.
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| Blazblue is nothing if not ambitious |
We can see
an example of this with the Blazblue series and how it handled its
story over the course of multiple games. As the series has developed
each entry has tried to push the visual novel element in a new
direction to fit their extensive use of narrative. Calamity Trigger
experimented with an open structure and Continuum Shift offered a
wide range of character stories and this variety was enabled by the
flexible and inexpensive nature of visual novel presentation. It also
allowed the large cast to act towards their own goals while
preventing the player from becoming lost in the web of motivations
through the clear divisions between sections. The narrative outcomes
even stretched into the Fighting Game sections with victory or defeat
having different and interesting narrative consequences which
encouraged the player to explore and experiment.
Conclusion
Adding
a visual novel element to Fighting Games creates a hybrid where both
sides can showcase what makes them special. Their common focus on
characters and expressing them in a distinct and memorable manner
furthers this connection by presenting the same traits from different
angles. Having visual novel sections in a spin-off title can work as
a substitute for an expected type of narrative structure while not
being invasive or confusing for the player. Then there
is the way it allows for a game with narrative ambitions to express
complex stories and routes in a flexible and smooth manner. Overall,
Fighting Games are a good partner for visual novels and taking the
two together should definitely be considered when designing a title
where the larger than life characters need another avenue to express
themselves.
