Death: Not just a boss in Castlevania

Written by: Santiago Azpurua-Borras

Death, in all his terrfying Jamaican-accented glory

Death is a pretty complicated idea that brings about only more complicated questions. Is there a soul that is released when we die? Do we go to “heaven” or “hell”  depending on our choices on Earth? Why the hell was the last save point an hour away?!

Find out why death isn’t so bad after the break.

Recently, I’ve been noticing a rising new trend among next-gen games, the absence of death of the main character. While it never really bothered me at first, I realized what a poor design choice this was when playing through the final hours of Fable II.

When one “dies” in Fable 2 he is temporally knocked out, loses uncollected experience and gains a scar, which *gasp* lowers your characters overall attractiveness? Say it isn’t so! When I realized that my actions had no real consequence to myself or the game, I played much more recklessly and still finished the game, no problem.

This is my first argument – not dying in a video game removes any skill needed to progress. Even in BioShock (one of my personal favorite games of all time) one could just recklessly blow stuff up, die, only to progress with less obstacles than before.

Hell, I beat the final boss using only the wrench once, just to entertain myself. When a game removes death, it also removes consequence, which removes any need for caution, which totally negates skill.

Games which prove the chain’s existence is the Ninja Gaiden franchise. Both required serious thought, quick reflexes, and the patience of a saint. Did you think you could take down Alma by just spamming the “X,X,X” combo? Be prepared for a rough six weeks my friend.

However this is not always the case. In the recent Prince of Persia, the Prince’s partner, Elika, made it her priority to save you so you couldn’t die. Missed that double jump? Elika saves you. About to get your face mutilated by the Hunter’s tri-scissor-blade-arm? Elika saves you.

However, this lifeline came with a cost. Missing that last jump in a long series of acrobatics made you start from the beginning of that particular series, which in some cases, was punishment enough. In combat, whatever enemy you were fighting at the moment regains his health. This punishment was mild, at most.

The only time I ever found this design choice really acceptable was Prey. The mini-game that one played when one died had a spiritual overtone to it, as you killed red and blue manta ray ghosts to regain health and spiritual power. This played well with the Native American after-life aspect of the game. However, how culturally accurate this depiction was is way beyond me.

Hopefully this is only a small trend as death in gaming is not a bad thing, it makes victories in games only that much sweeter.