Sunday, May 12, 2024
Of Robots And Sorcerers
At
first glance sci-fi and fantasy might seem incompatible with one
another since the first focuses on extrapolations of concepts from
our scientific present while the other deals with impossible events
and powers. However, behind these differences they share a common
desire to explore the nature of humanity through situations as
distant as possible from our everyday lives. When combined with this
angle in mind their union forms the Science Fantasy genre. For
visual novels this marriage is formed of several different
approaches which characterise their similar material in distinctive
lights. Maybe it is an exaggerated reflection of our own world,
often it is the rule of cool which decides how things go and
sometimes it is just an extremely tight and interconnection web of
concepts that brings the package together. Let’s find our wand and
phaser as we look at what this hybrid genre brings to visual novels.
Reflecting The World
A
common trend among Science Fantasy visual novels is their tendency
to have present day settings. Here the sci-fi element is founded in an
exaggerated version of modern science and used to justify many of the
common elements of Urban Fantasy through which the narrative tells
its more dramatic elements. This union focuses on sticking to the
familiar parts of a present day setting and using them to create a
bond of empathy with the characters as they go through the mundane
realities of life. Yet at the same time the fantastical events give a
framing to those mundane actions which draws out their artificial
nature and the absurdity when placed alongside a life and death
struggle. The sci-fi half keeps the fantasy from causing the player to
disassociate from events on screen by tickling their sense of vague
familiarity with modern science and keeping the magic and superpowers
firmly in a grounding of the known world. By adhering to all of these
elements the Science Fantasy can present ideas about the present day
through a lens detached enough to allow for a proper consideration of
them without being so far away as to prevent them from having the
emotional resonance necessary for their desired impact.
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| Superpowers and psychology are an interesting mix |
Take Chaos;Head
for example, here a scientific conspiracy is mixed with teenagers
possessing superpowers in order to take a look at what the modern
world does a person’s psychological state. The sci-fi elements
here focus around the human psyche and how the conspiracy seeks to
take advantage of it for their own gain. It includes a lot of
familiar scientific and pseudo-scientific terms the player is likely
heard about even if just in passing and so registers as vaguely
realistic which allows it to serve as a basis for the fantasy half to
bounce off of in order to better serve its core ideas. On the other
side, the superpowers work to enhance the sense of being detached from
the real world which alongside the protagonist’s unreliability
questions the effects of the modern social features, such as internet
forums, introduced through the sci-fi side.
The Rule Of Cool
Sometimes
the choice of Science Fantasy as a genre in visual novels is not in
service of some grand presentation of themes and is instead due to the
developer thinking it was cool. This originates from the way the genre
takes the familiar trapping of each of its parts and puts them
through a new lens in order to make them fresh again. Having a strong
sense of novelty provides a means of keeping the player engaged over the
course of the game and creating a visual and narrative style
completely owned by the title. This brand of Science Fantasy tends to
lean into a specific aspect of one half while the majority of the
rest of the experience is focused around the other. For example of
one extreme there is Deus Machine Demonbane. Here is a game leaning
heavily into its fantasy elements with magic and lovecraftian powers
shaping events and forming the bulk of the reoccurring
elements. With one large exception being the titular Deus Machine
which is a giant mech, something generally found in a more sci-fi
setting. Obviously this is passed through the fantasy filter in order
to justify its existence, but its out of place nature makes it
memorable and this in turn creates a unique texture to the game that
remains in the minds of many even to this day.
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| Contrast is a powerful tool |
On the other hand
there are titles like BlazBlue where the rule of cool aspect of the
Science Fantasy is more spread out and attached to a general world
building. This manifests through the technology the characters
interact with and the way it exists to compliment their magical
powers while keeping up the character's sense of appeal with
little regard for practicality. There weapons are the most
common example of this over the entire cast, but it is worth pointing
out there are characters who are machines and thus fall firmly on the side
sci-fi and yet no effort is really made to explain their actual
workings with the focus instead being on how cool there are to look
at.
Stronger Together
So
far the uses of the Science Fantasy genre shown have placed various
kinds of clear divides between the two halves or put an overwhelming
emphasis on one over the other. However, there are a group of games
under this genre which use it precisely because the challenge of
balancing these distinctive parts results in a potent and memorable
experience through how they link to one another. For this union to
succeed the two parts need to hold a similar thematic purpose within
the narrative while also justifying their place within the wider
world, so their existence does not stand out too much and disrupt the
player’s sense of immersion. In return for this delicate work, the
game can provide a unique sense of place for its setting which serves
a directed purpose of pushing the core themes and ideas of the story
in a way simultaneously in the player’s face and also subtle enough
to seep into their minds through continual exposure. An approach like
this is only effective for visual novels where there are complex or
emotional elements to explore rather than something aiming for clean
and clear messaging for common themes which need no introduction and
where the game not expecting them to be considered deeply.
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| A muddy dividing line can do wonders |
This can
be seen in seen in the fault series where the technology level of the
world is both higher and lower than our own to organically integrate
it into the areas of people’s lives which magic is not used in
order to sell them as complimenting elements. It is through their
subtlety that the power of drawing the player’s attention to them
originates since being made aware of something previously in the
background reshapes the understanding of the elements surrounding it and
lends to a clarity of messaging. Utawarerumono takes this approach to
its logical extreme by using the presence and absence of each half of
the genre to highlight key narrative beats through the divide between
the world of the ancient past and the one of the present.
Conclusion
As
with many hybrid genres, it is how the union of the two halves manifests
and interacts with the visual novel format which makes them an
engaging experience. Science Fantasy succeeds on multiple fronts due
to how well sci-fi and fantasy play into each other’s strengths. It
can mix the fantastical with the mundane to offer a frank
representation of the modern world and its issues. The unity can be
so coherent and well thought out that the themes and ideas are
communicated without needing to say a word or through clever
highlighting of key elements. On the other hand, sometimes it just
about the rule of cool and the strength comes from impressing the
player with spectacle and keeping them amused. There is no denying
the flexibility and narrative power found in Science Fantasy and
it is a genre more titles should consider branching out into.
