| >> |
02/22/09(Sun)00:57 No.27569733  Shadow
of the Colossus: the whole game was about not letting go. She's dead,
but you won't let it end that way. You can't let her go. These emotions
from the story are reflected and emphasized by the actual gameplay
elements. You have to hold on. The grip button is the crux of the game.
R1, gripped tightly in your right hand. Don't fall off. Don't let go.
But how long can you hold on?
And then the ending. You've held
on to the end. Your stubbornness has killed your only companion in this
unyielding battle against the inevitable. You've become the monsters
you've been fighting. And now, defeated, you are dragged from the one
you wanted to save, to your apparent doom. Everything is falling away.
The last thing you can grab are the stone steps leading up to the pool.
And you grab them, following the instincts you learned by playing the
game. Find a handhold. Hold on to something. Don't let go.
...
And you can hang on to those cold, stone steps forever - but you gain
nothing. The cutscene doesn't end. The vortex doesn't go away. You
can't advance from there. Against all the mechanics of the game you
grokked ages ago, you have to let go. In that single moment, gameplay,
writing, theme, and the high art of ludemes perfectly mix. You accept
your fate; only then can you be redeemed. |
