Tarnished, Chosen Undead, Ashen One: Narrative Design and Identity in Soulsborne Games
Recent games developed by FromSoftware have various elements in common. Some may say they all are challenging and test whether you are a hardcore player. And some will focus on the grim atmosphere that is present everywhere, maybe, except for Sekiro. In both cases, however, people also point out the specific narrative structure that is easy to ignore. However, the atmosphere inevitably pushes you to explore it.
Here I will put together some curious insights about the narrative approach cultivated by Hidetaka Miyazaki from the perspective of a game narratives researcher.
Identity of the Unknown One
To start with, Soulsborne games utilize quite the same formula of outlining the protagonist. In most cases, these characters are someone without a decent list of achievements in the game world. The story presents us as outcasts/foreigners/miserable and forgotten creatures/individuals that are not considered as something meaningful for the background lore at first. Still, as the game progresses we find out more about our purpose.
You may remember that this approach is overall not the most unique one. The famous RPG franchise, The Elder Scrolls, brings the protagonist out of nowhere too, and it is made in order to help the players in building their own very unique story. Soulsborne games, however, do not give you as much freedom, and their motivation for such a protagonist design, thus, differs a lot.
Most Soulsborne games are RPGs (Dark Souls series, Elden Ring) that give the player opportunity to construct their identity in terms of the class system. This identity should be embedded into the game’s narrative, and usually, as I have mentioned before, the worlds Miyazaki creates are grim, desolated, and hopeless.
There is not much to be done in such conditions, and the player takes the role of the watcher over it rather than the creator of the story (like in Skyrim or Morrowind). This detail completely fits the idea of recurring destruction we can witness in every game. Our protagonist, of course, fulfils their unique purpose which should end with a meaningful choice. But during their adventure, they can mostly listen to the dialogues and read the items' descriptions that completely omit the presence of our protagonist. They are history books that want us to explore, but not live in this world.
It allows the player to construct the identity of the Foreign, whilst the game world itself acts as the Familiar. The success of our character as well as the unique aspects of their journey arises from the fact the narrative does not try to invite us to join. Instead, it coerces us to feel alien to everything. And this approach to identity construction brings stories of Miyazaki to another level. I will further address how the personal questlines of the characters fit into these observations.
Ways of engagement
One might say that there are many games where the protagonist feels alien to the world, but their unique abilities allow them to save the day. Usually, though, such an approach aims to focus on the difference between the character and conditions. In Miyazaki’s stories, the alien aspects usually do not indicate we don’t belong to this world. They just mean we are now watchers of what has been done, and we will need to decide where all this will go in the end.
The approach chosen by Myazaki significantly enhances the way player feels depending on their interaction with the lore and story. I would suggest three modes of such interaction.
- Low engagement. Experiencing it with boss battles and environmental design;
- Medium engagement. Learning the story from dialogues united with the mentioned ways;
- High engagement. Exploring the story by reading items’ descriptions;
In this case, traditional ways to design protagonists would allow only the players with high story engagement to construct robust in-game identities. That is why, for example, in Sekiro Miyazaki has changed the approach to narrative design in various aspects in order to take into account Wolf’s past and role in the current story.
The Foreign identity, though, can be constructed even with lower levels of engagement. Let me show you several examples.
Only the bosses
When your character is just following the plot by moving from one location to another and killing bosses, they can only interact with the lore given through the environment or cutscenes. One meets Dancer of the Boreal Valley right next to Vordt of the Boreal Valley boss (Dark Souls 3), and their names combined with the location tell us more information than we can think.
Before coming to these bosses, we are walking through the grave and explore a castle. One can identify with the traveller that purges evil in the fallen kingdom and meets its rulers (?), and officers (?). At this moment of the game, this person does not know the details, but their journey still fits the possible identification with the character. And it matters the most.
Environmental design and identity
The examples of the two bosses I have mentioned represent the clever environmental narrative design that is widely used by Miyazaki. Such an approach strengthens the communication between the author and the recipient in movies, but only with the use of other narrative tools (dialogues or actions). In video games, however, environmental design can be a self-sufficient separate narrative tool as the player has a certain degree of agency.
Usually, our perception of interactivity in games significantly underestimates how much agency is there. We got used to the idea that interactivity is when you can make valuable choices that can alter all the further events in the game. Focusing on a scale (how much has changed) is completely normal for people in that case as we are coming into the game in order to get certain emotions (and they have to be powerful and memorable).
However, the very notion of any game assumes a minimum level of agency. Just like in real life. The interactivity is present in the Chess game, Tetris, Dragon Age, and Detroit: Become Human. Yes, there are different levels of it, but in all of them, you are clearly interacting with the game world. And it leads to certain consequences.
The consequences can be clear to identify, and this clarification depends on the level of conditionality the author puts in the game. Game conditions can either limit you or give you freedom, and it is a usual task for a game designer to define such rules. But the controversial observation about these conditions is that the environment is also a condition. And the one that gives the player additional agency even if they cannot interact with it.
The interactivity of a static environment shows itself in the fact players can construct the identity of their character by seeing it or becoming a part of the action inside of it. Soulsborne games utilize this approach, and now I will show how.
Bonfire and resurrection
Probably, the most exciting example of identity construction through environmental design can be found in bonfires. These are the gameplay checkpoints in the Dark Souls series that also play the role of the level upgrade hubs (in some games) and fast travel points.
If the player is not reading any information about the game world (lore) and skip dialogues, there are still several thoughts that shape the experience of such a player.
“Why does this bonfire restore my health points and resurrect enemies?”
“How can I travel through bonfires?”
However, you may say, the player that asks such questions, will probably go and search for the answers in Dark Souls Wiki, thus will start to find out more about lore. But the most interesting detail is that this person will probably have already decided the right answer for themselves (if they are really “log-engagement” players).
There is a stereotype that if one is not interested in exploring the game lore, they are just playing unconsciously. Such an opinion is often present in the debates between “gameplay” fans and “narrative” fans. But in fact, it is difficult to find someone who is totally avoiding indirect narrative information (if it is present in the game) as the power of narrative design in games lies in communicating with such players.
The bonfire is a common symbol of rest and safety compared to the hostile world around it. The player most probably thinks that the gameplay condition of the HP restoration means our character is rested now, and the enemies that revived are just new foes that arrived here overnight. This explanation is simple, and you may ask how it related to the identity issue that usually includes complex self-identification.
Identity supposes that one has a coherent sense of self in terms of certain beliefs and views. This broad definition does not try to limit us to groups, individuals, and interests, as contemporary social science digs deeper into the unknown communities that require a different approach.
Now, let’s combine the environmental notion of self the player got from bonfires with the one they had from bosses.
“One can identify with the traveller that purges evil in the fallen kingdom and meets its rulers (?), and officers (?).”
“The player most probably thinks that the gameplay condition of the HP restoration means our character is rested now, and the enemies that revived are just new foes that arrived here overnight.”
The game world is designed in a way that the simple and broad explanations (which depict our character as Foreign to the game world itself) fit perfectly and do not contradict each other even if the one does not know the details.
But, you may ask, isn’t it the same for many other games too? Let’s find out.
Gameplay and identity
Now we understand that Miyazaki’s approach can work well with players not really engaged with the lore. However, the argument about the “Dark Souls Approach” can seem weak because many games prefer to tell their story through the environment, and not mostly through the text.
And this is the point where we should remember narrative design is a specific form of game design. Even the low-level interaction with the environment can be designed differently. For example, in visual novels, the opportunity to explore locations from several angles is usually limited. It narrows down the focus of the player by creating a restrained agency situation. Of course, in third-person action games it will work the other way.
There are three general game design tools that shape the environmental narrative in Miyazaki’s games:
- Level Design
- Combat Design
- Rewards System
Let me talk a little about how each tool is being utilized in FromSoftware games to emphasize the identity construction effect.
Level design: constructing an emotional image
Level design is the most obvious tool as the path the player goes through along with the obstacles, visual objects, and environmental challenges (like narrow wooden beams in the Cathedral in Dark Souls) constitutes the primary presence in the game. Level design dictates how the player engages even the tiniest elements of the environment, and even such things as associations can drastically change the impression from it.
Players have certain associations that can connect level design decisions with logic or emotional factor. It might work less efficiently with players new to video games overall, but, for example, the spacious room can often indicate there is going to be a boss fight. The player feels tension and even horror in some sense (remember numerous memes about entering the boss location), so the whole new space of action is becoming accessible for a creative director.
We coherently construct our thoughts about ourselves while developing identity under the effect of various factors. During the emotional upheaval, you remember actions and events that can become crucial for your beliefs regardless of the engagement level. Here is where Miyazaki turns the player in.
Other games with boss fights use arenas as the game design tool firstmost. Both combat design and level design here can contribute to the enhanced gameplay experience, but Miyazaki chooses to put them to strengthen the environmental narrative effect.
When you enter the arena with Gael, you notice it is impressively large, and the first thought might be “Okay, guess this guy will make me move all around.” However, you may notice that even phase 3 often forces players to use a maximum of 1/3 of the arena size. Of course, there are different playstyles, but this boss is definitely not Midir that positions himself on the opposite side of his arena. Why do we need to witness such a large space then?
The answer is, probably, as Gael has crucial importance for the story of all Dark Souls series and the Ringed City in particular, Miyazaki wanted to emphasize the void and destructions that contribute to our character’s identity. Ashen One literally meets ashes and dust that can (or cannot) be the result of their choice at the end of the game.
Also, another function of such a level design is to distract us from the environment itself. There are not many obstacles inside of it and everything around is not as notable as Gael. The effect of the Foreign identity is being strengthened by this approach, as we feel we are the only barrier between what remains of this world and the threat to it (Gael).
Combat design: identity in action
We usually underestimate how intensive gameplay affects our self-identification in the game. As I have noticed before, even interactivity in Chess game allows for self-identification at a very low level. “I have taken your Queen.” You can announce it any way you prefer, but we usually address these actions to ourselves. We are the strategic planners of our army.
It is not a surprise that if the game has other visual and narrative layers, the engagement will be higher and thus the identity constructed will be stronger. Soulsborne games are using these layers to deliver impressive and challenging boss fights. Which identity do we construct during these battles?
It depends on how the designer addressed our agency in the RPG elements of the game. The boss fight can be easy for melee classes, or, on the other hand, more relaxing if you utilize spells and bow/crossbow. We may think it can only affect our experience from gameplay, but in fact, it also shapes our narrative perception of the boss.
Well-designed combat allows us to include our identity in the frame of action in the game. It works especially well when combat is the primary RPG aspect of your title, and apparently, it is the case in the Soulsborne games. The “build” you have chosen gives you not-so-obvious hints about the game’s narrative, and it can be narrowed down to simple questions. Why is it so easy to kill this boss by playing a mage? Why Malenia is not a piece of cake with the solo range build?
Of course, it does not indicate some incredibly thorough self-reflection of your narrative place in this world. But Miyazaki games enhance this gameplay element as a powerful story-building tool that works well along with the rewards the player gets after the combat.
Rewards system: the death we deserve
People say that Miyazaki reinvented the way we perceive death in video games. In the Soulsborne series, death is an integral part of the gameplay loop that allows you to value the currency you earn and to feel your progress. At the same time, unlike in other games, here death also becomes a part of your routine.
This duality, “rewarding” versus “routine” brings the connection between our figure as the Foreigner in the narrative and the well-designed RPG elements. And it happens so because the player’s primary gameplay experience here is death.
The grim worlds we are invited to attend are full of death and decay. What matters even more, these are worlds where death is happening in the cycle, and we enter this cycle along with the local citizens. That’s how you would explain the ever-reviving enemies in each location. Narratively, we are trying to use the benefits of this cycle (earning currency to progress) to cut it down (kill the non-reviving boss).
From the identity perspective, as a Foreigner, we strongly feel our sense of self through this system that is distinctive from all other characters. They also exist in a loop, just as we are, but they are not benefitting from it. The loop of currency earning and death rewards us with progress, role-playing, and character development.
It is a quite unique situation where your sense of being a unique hero does not proceed from the supernatural powers or specifically written story. The gameplay system collides with world-building in a way that encourages you to feel meaningful and belonging (even though you are Foreign to this world). And it shapes the experience of joy from victories over foes in a way that can be embraced both by the lore diggers and ordinary players.
Soulsborne identities and limitations
I would like to end this small article with my thoughts about the identity issue in Soulsborne games with the notion of limitations and constraints. Because the reader might think that this piece of text is not as critical of Miyazaki games as it should be.
First of all, of course, identity issue is a wider research problem that includes various definitions of identity itself, and thus we cannot say all people playing Soulsborne construct this identity or that. But when we are talking about the virtual identity that emerges in video games, we most often avoid maximalist definitions that are too narrow and strict to utilize.
In other words, because people usually are not aware of the game being a space for identity construction, they can rarely self-reflect on their experience of this happening. “It is just a game. I wanna relax.” But when we are researching the subject, we need to take into account the wide range of possibilities for self-reflection.
Such a critical awareness is also a limitation as, of course, we cannot say each identity has definitely been constructed the way I have described. It is only the way we can interpret certain gameplay-narrative setups and their success (or flaws) in delivering the sense of self to the player.
And how did you experience the Soulsborne games? Have you been aware of the identity you have constructed? Have you constructed it at all?
Thank you for reading this article. If you want to find out more about the game I’m making with my lovely team at Risus Lupus, have a look at our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lupusrisus) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/argentafervojo/). This is an enthusiasm-driven project that is based on my research and the idea that games should be taken seriously.
We would also be glad to accept some donations from you on our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lupusrisus). We plan to post updates there very soon, so stay tuned! Even a $1 subscription will significantly help us with development, and you will be the first to hear news about the game.
