tone

Over the past week, I have had the pleasure of playing through Ubisoft’s new game, Child of Light. Using the UbiArt framework (the same framework used for the new Rayman series), the Montreal studio has crafted a joyous platformer that is full of wonder, exploration, and a sense of depth that conveys that the world is larger than anything the player can hope to explore. While playing Child of Light, there were a few things that struck me. One, less is more, not every line has to rhyme… especially when it drags down the dialogue of a game and makes it less engaging to the player. Two, it is possible to make a JRPG (Japanese style Role-Playing Game) combat system still fun and involved. Three, some games really do drip charm. And four, and this was the surprising one, that sense of wonder, exploration, and sense of depth… reminded me a lot of Limbo, just you know – not entirely terrifying.

LOOK AT THAT MOUSE! He is an archer accountant with spectacles... and his name is Robert. I dare someone not to be charmed. — LOOK AT THAT MOUSE! He is an archer accountant with spectacles… and his name is Robert. I dare someone not to be charmed.

I am not going to write how Child of Light and Limbo are the same game. They are not. In a sense, they are similar as both games center on exploration of a foreign world and feature puzzle mechanics. The puzzle mechanics are a gentle distraction in Child of Light whereas they take front-and-center in Limbo. Also, while the two games share the exploration, the difference in tone is as black and white as Limbo‘s visuals. Actually… maybe it isn’t.

The harsh world of Limbo is a cruel and unforgiving place. — The harsh world of *Limbo* is a cruel and unforgiving place.

Child of Light begins with the death of the protagonist. I’m really not spoiling anything, that happens within the first cut-scene. That little redheaded girl that the player controls is dead. How she died and why she has awaken in this world of night is unclear. One thing that she learns immediately is that the world is dangerous and full of bizarre hostile creatures. Sounding familiar? True, Child of Light‘s color use is beautiful and vivid, with scenery that is more likely to illicit awe than terror. That said, at the beginning of the game, I encountered that same feeling of helplessness that I remembered so much in Limbo. The player character, Aurora, is walking along when she comes to a small pond. Across that pond is a type of wolf (unlike any found in the real world) that wolf howls and growls but cannot cross the pond. It is threatening but not deadly. I remember this part: I was filled with dread.

In Limbo, the beginning unfolds in a similar manner. The unknown player character awakens in a strange land. This time, the player has no idea what story has proceeded the gameplay. This helps add to Limbo‘s sense of helplessness as the player has no choice but to wonder on and try to survive.

Both games drop the protagonist into larger than life forests, where the player must survive against the creatures who live there.

In Child of Light, the sense of complete helplessness is lost much more quickly. Aurora finds a sword and gains her first companion (a firefly with incredible healing abilities). Tone-wise, nope – there isn’t much linking the two when that happens. Aurora has someone to talk to and an immediate way to defend herself. The unnamed protagonist in Limbo never has either luxury. Nevertheless, a moment does come when the sense of helplessness is lost. The spider. Anyone who played the game, you just shuddered. To anyone unfamiliar, have a look:

As someone with an intense fear of spiders… ugh. Anyway, that thing menaces the player throughout the start of the game. The helplessness of Limbo ends the moment that the player kills that spider. From then on, Limbo is no longer as terrifying as it was before. The focus shifts into more pure puzzle-solving. The player feels enabled, not with a sword mind you, but with their mind. Killing a giant spider will do that.

While both games handle their challenges differently (it is much easier to die in Limbo), it does not change the base similarity. These are quality games with a strong focus on exploration and stories that push relentlessly onward. The depth of their side-scrolling presentation is incredible and I think both games owe something to King Kong (1933).

“Wait, what?” You ask.

Look at this:

The artists who designed Skull Island in the original King Kong were geniuses and managed to create this layered look that brought the fantastical world to life. Child of Light and Limbo share this aesthetic and use the same visual style. If you’re planning to make a video game with a sense of wonder at a world that is both fantastical and threatening, there really is no better source of inspiration.

Trailers can reveal a lot about a movie. They can showcase the plot, the tone, and the characters. Often times, a film audience can tell the quality of a film, based on its previews. This May, the second American Godzilla remake will release across the world. This 2014 makes another attempt at adapting the Japanese creation for American audiences. The first attempt in 1998… did not go well. Just to recollect, here is the teaser for the 1998 remake:

I still remember seeing that in front of Men in Black. At the time I thought it looked fun and badass. Godzilla was taking out a T-Rex – take that, Jurassic Park! Oh, what foreshadowing that was. Godzilla 1998 never did get past that image of the T-Rex and those movies that came out right before it. But, enough about this movie, maybe I’ll talk about it another time.

I would like to show you the first teaser to the 2014 film, but sadly it was never legally released. All I can say is that it exists online and is worth checking out. This time, there were no mentions made of T-Rex. Instead the teaser was solemn, filled with images of destruction and the following quote:

"We knew the world would not be the same. A few people cried; most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita; Vishnu takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.'" — “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people cried; most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita; Vishnu takes on his multi-armed form and says, ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.'”

The teaser concluded with that image of Godzilla roaring at the sky. It gave goosebumps and sent a message: this remake was trying to capture the tone of the 1954 original. The first Godzilla was not a fun action movie, I have already spoken about it at length. After the debacle in 1998, director Gareth Edwards wanted to send a message to Godzilla fans that his film would be different. Message received. Here is the first, publicly-shown teaser:

Leaves a different impression from the 1998 version, right? While both teasers are light on the actual plot and characters (as teasers often are), they mainly exist to showcase a tone. The 1998 teaser was light and fun, while the 2014 teaser provided shots of death and destruction. Godzilla himself was also featured much more heavily in the 2014 teaser: showcasing the monster as the main presence of the film.

In the trailers since then, this image has been reinforced. The audience has gotten snippets of plot (Bryan Cranston appears to be a scientist, Aaron Johnson is his son, the soldier) and how Godzilla is being presented. He is shown as a force of nature. An unstoppable juggernaut that even nuclear bombs cannot slow down. The shots are dark, often set at night or filled with shadow. There is very little normalcy shown, the audience instead being treated to soldiers, scientists, and other figures who are playing central roles in the action (there is only one shot of a “happy couple” dynamic in any of the trailers).

This looked like a disaster movie, when mankind trying to survive Godzilla instead of a volcano or meteor. Then came the first real trailer, and another factor was added to the mix. Godzilla is not the only monster in this movie.

While it is hard to say exactly what MUTO is (other than a bug), this monster is definitely not Godzilla.

Dubbed M.U.T.O., there isn’t much known about this adversary, other than it is an original creation (there is no Japanese film where Godzilla fought Muto in the past). With the appearance of this new plot element, questions arise about the films tone. Can it still echo the somber nature of the 1954 film (Gareth Edwards spoken intention) while featuring something as blockbuster as a monster fight? The trailers seemed to back this up. That is, until the most recent one:

Of all the Godzilla marketing, this preview is the most apart, in terms of content and tone. While other previews spoke about Godzilla in very realistic terms (almost as if the events were actually happening), this one adds some definite movie lines. “No, a god”… really? A god…zilla, you mean? Yeah, it’s kinda cheesy. “Let them fight” also is marked departure. If destruction (and the horrors of) is a central theme, then why are the humans encouraging the giant monsters to battle each other?

The destruction is still highlighted, but this time it is also an effects shot.

It creates issues. The tone of the original Godzilla is what helped it to be such a powerful movie. If that tone is battling with say, another monster, it looks as though it is going to break down. Again, however, the trailers could be trying to simply appeal to a wider audience. Note back to that 1998 teaser: how prevalent were the children? Pretty easy to spot that film’s target audience. This new Godzilla has looked far more scary by contrast, and the marketing department may simply want to show that there are other elements of the film beyond Godzilla destroying things.

It remains to be seen just how well-made a movie this new Godzilla is. That said, the marketing has certainly done its job creating excitement for the movie. Whether the tones conflict or not: destruction, ominous lines, and dark shots of the monster seem to be all that is necessary to make an effective monster-movie trailer.

Oh yeah: and budget for believable special effects! Always forget that one.

Child of Light is a Less Terrifying Limbo

Marketing Method: Godzilla (2014)