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
review
Community: A Most Unique TV Show
In the first episode of the sitcom Community, Jeff Winger, a lawyer disbarred for faking his bachelor’s degree, has to go to Greendale Community College to get his degree. To win over a woman in his Spanish class, he pretends to be a Spanish tutor with his own study group. Five others from the class join the group too, and they form an unexpected friendship over the show. Thus begins six seasons of film homages, subversive self-referentiality, and resonant character development. Community references specific movies and entire genres of film, and references can last anywhere from one line to an entire episode. What distinguishes homages in Community from your average spoof is that the characters recognize homages when they see them, often making a point of accentuating the homage, especially Abed, the film enthusiast who seems to know more about television than the real world. The show has many paintball episodes (in which the entire school plays a game of paintball assassin) and a Hot Lava episode (in which the school plays a game of Hot Lava), which include homages to Star Wars; Lord Of The Rings; Mad Max; and the post-apocalyptic, western, and spy genres. In the Star Wars episode, Abed “calls dibs” on playing Han Solo once he realizes the game is becoming like the aforementioned movie. Appropriately, for a show that seems to know all the tropes of popular culture, it knows when to subvert them, too. When Annie loses her pen, she makes everyone in the group stay in the study room until they find out who took it. Abed sighs, saying he hates bottle episodes, which take place in one room, usually to save money or to speed through character development. Like other bottle episodes, this episode was highly emotional, but lacks the forced character development. The episode “Paradigms of Human Memory” is in the format of a clip episode, which is a tool used mainly to dramatically cut costs by recycling old footage. The episode, however, included entirely new footage, and was one of the most expensive episodes of the show. Community has been on the verge of cancellation many times, which the show has addressed. In the season 5 finale, when NBC had cancelled the show, Abed said, “We’ll definitely be back next year. If not, it’ll be because an asteroid has destroyed all human civilization. And that’s canon,” looking directly at the camera. The show references itself in a very intelligent way, using Abed’s love of film and habit of relating life to TV to be self-referential without breaking character or losing realism. But without great characters, Community would fall flat. While in the pilot episode, they appear to be nothing more than one-dimensional stereotypes, they quickly become fleshed-out characters with realistic portrayals of their diversity. Abed has Autism Spectrum Disorder, and “represents a unique individual on the autism spectrum rather than a stereotypical bundle of symptoms,” according to Interacting With Autism. In addition, each episode has ramifications. A revealing episode focused on one character forever changes how others treat them. In the episode “Advanced Dungeons And Dragons”, Pierce bullies Neal, whom the study group is trying to prevent from committing suicide. As a result, Pierce and the rest of the group become more distant and fight much more often. One of the main characters on the show, Shirley, says when talking about Abed’s favorite show, “It’s smart, and doesn’t talk down to its viewers.” It would be very hard to find a more appropriate and succinct description of Community.
A Tale of Witchcraft…, Reviewed by Aditi, 13
Disclaimer: If you haven’t read the first book in the series, A Tale of Magic…, I would strongly recommend reading that book before delving into this novel. Have you ever dreamed of a faraway land with magic, talking animals, and witches? In this land, magic has just been legalized, or at least that is what everyone thinks. A Tale of Witchcraft… is a one-of-a-kind book! The author, Chris Colfer, grabs readers from the very beginning into a fast-paced, meaningful, and magical tale of friendship and betrayal. The main protagonist, Brystal Evergreen, is known as the Fairy Godmother—the strongest fairy. Brystal’s generosity and optimistic nature fuel her ever-growing passion for teaching young girls and boys how to use their magic for good. The world is calm and happy, and it seems as if no one dislikes magic. The magical community has worked so hard to be accepted by the Northern, Western, Southern, and Eastern Kingdoms. Acceptance is hard to find when one is different from everyone else. Even if one tries to fit in, only the truest of friends will accept them for who they are. The book opens with the rise of an ancient organization, The Brotherhood. The Brotherhood has been in the shadows for millennia. They have a philosophy that states the world is made to be ruled by man, and anything that seems to defy their belief has to be eliminated, which is the magical community! This beginning enveloped me in a sea of thoughts. How would an organization—with no magic—have a chance at ridding the world of magic? In previous books by Chris Colfer, the beginnings always had a significance, so, at the time, I was unsure what the relevance of The Brotherhood would be until I ventured further into the book. How would you handle a deadly curse that subjects you to oppression? Would you listen to the negative thoughts in your head—formed from the curse—or would you fight it? After fixing a dam in the Western Kingdom, Brystal’s conscience starts to backfire on her. For example, when the Western Kingdom praised the Fairy Council—a group of fairies striving to help others—Brystal became clouded with pessimistic thoughts. As the novel continues to develop, the curse aggravates Brystal’s mental state, putting her life on the line. Not by coincidence, a witch, Mistress Mara, arrives from her rival school to recruit new students. As the praised Fairy Godmother, Brystal thought that she was the only one who could fix her problems, and by doing so, she pushed away some of her best friends, especially Lucy. Brystal soon realizes that the only way to break the curse is by fighting the negativity and believing in herself! Brystal guides the reader through the book while she struggles with her rebounding negative thoughts. Similar to Chris Colfer’s other novels, A Tale of Witchcraft… expands on the theme of acceptance within oneself and others, while including a spring of adventure with the turn of every page. A Tale of Witchcraft… by Chris Colfer. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
