CHENNAI: Bandersnatch, which was an experimental Black Mirror episode, released on Netflix in December 2018. It was engaging, more than just a normal TV show that just showed the passage of pre-decided storyline. But the videogame elitists that some of us are, wanted to point out that this has been happening for quite a long time in games, and in a much more complex way. The first such success in the line of Heavy Rain released in 2011, but made good use of the DualShock and motion-sensing capabilities that the PlayStation controller had at the time. You watch the story of four different people, their lives slowly getting intertwined in the series of killings caused by the ‘Origami Killer’. You could move your character around the given place of interest, and explore and interact with objects around you to further the story. The conversation choices, and small choices made — we would later learn, makes a difference to the story as the game progresses.
The primary reason the game worked, was the engaging plot. It started out nice and warm with a father joking and playing with his two sons — but turned dark, very fast, and suddenly. The twists and the crazed darkness of the plot keep you wanting more, like a page-turning thriller novel (but better than that, because you feel more connected with the characters). The game can make you fear red balloons and innocent paper folds.
Of course, there is also the fact that the game uses the DualShock motion-sensing in strategic moments to create that intense drama in the story. Strike a blow to defend yourself? Violently shake the controller down. Need your character to brush his teeth? Shake the controller up and down. It adds that heaviness to an otherwise just bland read and click-and-play gameplay that is used in most other Interactive Dramas — Telltale Games, for example. This was perhaps why the game has been restricted for so long to a purely console audience. But this year, the game is extending its tendrils to the PC masterclass to engage with a larger group of gamers. The world needs more games like Heavy Rain which also has an engaging B-story.
Anusha Ganapathi
@quaffle_waffle
(This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)