thinking about this birdsite thread
https://twitter.com/StardustCstaway/status/1011657919404937217
and I had a different question, sorta related: what are the games (or other interactive experiences) in the past five years or so that are most opinionated about what a narrative even is, or how a narrative works?
I ask partially because I finished playing _What Remains of Edith Finch_ last night, after buying it partially on the recommendations of people quote-replying that tweet, and I really (really) loved it—but from a "strictly" "formal" perspective it just seemed like Gone Home With More Stuff to me (which in turn was mostly just No Guns Domestic Bioshock). so not really interesting to me specifically on that level
@aparrish 30 Flights strikes me as the most aggressive I've played on that front. Jazzpunk to a lesser degree (but it didn't really succeed overall, I don't think)
@casey this toot inspired me to actually play 30 flights which I've owned for like five years now I guess? and it's great! but I'm trying to figure out how to articulate why I don't think it's especially opinionated about narrative in the sense I'm looking for... like the story isn't really a *system* in this game? and the jump cuts and surrealism feel very new-wave cinematic to me, like you could take out the controls and it could be a truffaut short more or less?
@aparrish hmm yeah, I guess what I had in mind was that the jump cuts and surrealism to me make it feel like the game is in service to the narrative and not the reverse, like the Bungie games forcing you to spend time so much time walking through areas you've been through
@aparrish 80 Days isn’t in-your-face radical or experimental, but it is interesting in a number of quiet ways. Particularly in the sense it gives you, the nominal protagonist, of dropping in and out of other people’s stories-in-progress.
@ghost_bird yeah, 80 days is paradigmatic of the kind of games I'm looking for/thinking of
@aparrish “Kings” and “Queens”, then? Though you probably know them already.
@ghost_bird wait what are you talking about? I assumed you'd meant Reigns but maybe not?
@aparrish Sorry - total brain failure. I meant Reigns of course. I’ll give up on this and make some more coffee.