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Abhi Sukhdial

Video Games and the Power of Storytelling

When you think of video games, what do you usually think of? The gameplay. Take Minecraft. A sandbox game with endless possibilities. How about Fortnite? A battle Royale shooter with casual and competitive players. But what do most people not really think of when you mention video games? Their stories. Don’t get me wrong, video games need a story. Even Minecraft and Fortnite have stories, despite how small or simple they may be. But as I’ve been going through school, I’ve been playing many games. Of course, most are just fun games, like Rainbow Six Siege or your typical world of Terraria. But I also went through a list of story-heavy games. Out of all the games I played, these games stuck with me the most. What Remains of Edith Finch What Remains of Edith Finch is a two hour walking simulator. You can’t lose, you have no freedom to tackle situations your own way: it’s just a two hour experience with very minimal effort required to progress. Yet, despite the game sounding like the most boring thing ever, it’s an amazing game. Like someone said to me, “It takes two hours to finish, and a lifetime to reflect.” The story is about you, Edith, a girl walking through the home of the Finchs’ – a now uninhabited mansion – and learning how each of them met his/her untimely demise some many years ago. As the story goes on, it progressively becomes sadder and more powerful. You see how each Finch died – in his/her own brutal way – as you discover the backstory of each family member. I’ve never seen so much care and love put into such a linear game. It’s nothing like I’ve ever played. Ever. Each section feels like a whole longer game of its own. This game excels at making you feel sad. I love how the game is never afraid to take risks. You see characters – young and old – facing relatable problems that lead to their death. It’s so brutal (despite it having little to no blood or gore) that every flashback to their death did nothing but hypnotize me as I stood there, thinking, “What the heck did I just witness?” It punched me in the stomach so many times that I felt like I was crying in my mind; I just wasn’t pouring out tears. The graphics are gorgeous, and the stories are so dark yet cartoonish at the same time. It’s like what would happen if the Joker made a video game. I remember just finishing it, watching the ending, and feeling sad. I want to learn more about these characters, I want to see more of them. I want… maybe a sequel? But at the same time, that could have a high chance of ruining the original. This is not the type of game where I can really explain how powerful it is. Buy it, and you’ll see why. Persona 5 Persona 5 is one of the longest games I’ve ever played. Ever. It took me about 100 hours to beat, and even after that, I felt like I missed so much. This game excels at story and world-building, while still having surprisingly fun gameplay. A young kid named Ren is sent on probation after a false claim of assault. While meeting some friends there, they discover the MetaVerse, another dimension with evil beings. After meeting some horrible people at the school, they discover they can change the hearts of those criminals and horrible people by taking their “Treasure” in the MetaVerse. Steal the treasure, and they will confess their sins in reality. This group becomes known as the “Phantom Thieves.” Obviously, the story is not as simple as that. If I had to explain everything, we’d be here forever, but even still, this game has an incredible story. The characters are all incredible and feel like actual high schoolers instead of cut-down video game protagonists. I should say this right out of the gate: if you don’t like long dialogue and complex storytelling, buy something else. This game is filled with dialogue – almost 60 hours of it, if not more. Normally, I find dialogue in most games to be slow and boring, but Persona 5 is an exception. The dialogue is so funny and perfectly resembles that of high school teenagers. The characters all have their own detailed backstories that you can learn over the course of the game. I think what I love most about this game though is how well it combines sci-fi with realistic fiction. The Phantom Thieves are powerful in the MetaVerse, but as reality starts slipping away from them, they start to realize just how much they want to go back to being normal high schoolers. The characters all face mental issues that are addressed over the course of the game, and while it is a bit samey samey, it’s still quite impressive. For me, Persona 5 is the type of game that immerses me into the gameplay so well that I don’t really pay attention to some of its crippling flaws. The music is amazing, but you’ll hear a lot of the same songs over and over again, so get ready for that. The gameplay and side activities could have been expanded upon a little more, and I personally believe they could have made the main character more interesting. Regardless, this game is a true work of storytelling with such a simple, yet effective story that satisfies fans of the series, and newcomers to it like me. I highly, HIGHLY recommend you try it out. A Short Hike I remember picking this game up and not wanting to do anything else. It’s such a cute and funny game that’s a much-needed breather compared to all the shooty-shoot games that have come out recently. It’s a simple, but cute game. The character tries to climb to the top of a mountain to receive cell phone service. Simple, but relatable. But

Anime Movies Are Underrated

For the past few weeks, I’ve been getting myself into an anime mood. Before this, I never loved or hated anime. There are some great anime movies out there, but not many. A lot of people seem to think that anime is silly, or cheesy, or a bad excuse for actual animation. I agree that not all anime movies are great. In fact, most of them are rather overdramatic and loud, but there are many times where I can safely say that the anime movies I’ve seen are better than most Disney and Pixar movies. I watched many anime movies during the winter break, but there are three that really stand out for me. These films are all incredible, and I believe everyone should watch them. Your Name I’ll start off with a film that most people know, or at least have heard of, which is Your Name. Just like everyone says, this is an incredible film. I’ve had many friends who’ve had their whole perspective on anime changed because of this movie. I can understand what they mean. This is a breathtaking and emotional film. The premise is simple. A boy and girl get their bodies swapped back and forth each day, and they are forced to live and communicate through messaging and calling each other. It sounds simple, but the film actually gets more complicated as the story goes on, and sometimes it becomes extremely difficult to understand. I think the reason so many people love this film, including me, is the characters. The relationship between the boy and the girl is extremely natural and realistic. This is something I tend to notice in all anime movies. Most movies typically focus on an entertaining plot, with action sequences and moments to always keep you on the edge of your seat. Anime movies are more character driven. Nearly all of them I’ve seen focus a lot on the characters, their motivations, and their goals. I’m the kind of person to always prefer characters over world-building. It’s why I loved the Harry Potter books so much. Yes, there’s a lot of world-building in Harry Potter, but it focused a lot on the characters and their development throughout the series. It’s why I’ve never really gotten into the Wheel of Time or Way of Kings series’. They’re good books, but they’ve never really hooked me in. Your Name is a simple story that has so many meanings. There are tons of messages that this film brings to the table, like love and youth. The dialogue is great and never gets boring. It always knows when it’s trying to be funny, and when it’s trying to be serious, and that’s one of the best parts of the film. The constant shifting tone combined with the witty dialogue makes this a very entertaining film. In most comedies, the film doesn’t really work so well when it’s trying to get emotional since the dialogue is still funny and light-hearted. However, this film has great dialogue that sticks to the mood. It never feels out of place. Both the subbed (which is the Japanese version with subtitles) and the dubbed (which is the English voices dubbed into the film) versions are great. While Your Name is fantastic, this is surprisingly my least favorite of the three films I’m going to be talking about. A Silent Voice This film takes the word emotional to a whole new level. It’s simply an amazing film, maybe even a masterpiece. It communicated with me so powerfully. It’s not just another film about how bad bullying is. It’s a film about self-esteem, self-confidence, and redemption, and it’s incredibly well done. The story will literally cut your throat throughout. A young man named Shoya decides to make amends with a deaf girl named Shouko that he bullied years ago. It sounds boring, but it’s surprisingly great. It conveys messages and themes that are very relatable like depression and self-hatred, but never goes too over the top to where it feels fake. The characters are all very memorable, and I never really hated any of them. They all have personality and don’t feel like unnecessary substitutes to the main character. They’re integral to the relationship of Shoya and Shouko, and they constantly develop and change. Part of what I love so much about this movie is the realism. It has zero supernatural or fictional elements, leading you to feel more immersed in the story. I’ve also felt that having the characters head into a magical world, or fighting a group of fictional monsters, lessens the themes of the story. It’s why I didn’t like Your Name as much. It’s a great film, but it has a lot of supernatural elements that we can’t really relate to as well, like body swapping and time travel. The movie is always entertaining throughout its two hour runtime. The dialogue is well written and communicates to not only bullies, but people around the world who are worried or anxious about their lives. It speaks so well to introverts. Shoya learns to love himself as he tries to gain a friendship with Shouko. He always imagines an “X” on everyone since he can’t properly look anyone in the eye, but as the film goes on, he starts to take those “X”s off one by one. A Silent Voice is realistic, emotional and brutal. It left a lot of my friends sobbing and sobbing, and almost left me doing the same. Every scene adds something new to the story that I can’t fully describe it all in one sitting. I loved this movie and I can recommend it to anyone. Be warned though: it tackles lots of depressing themes that can be a little saddening and frightening to some. But if you can deal with that, then you’re in for one of the best films ever made. Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms This is the type of film that I can’t describe in words. It’s so