If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t posted much in the past few weeks, here’s your answer. I’ve been busy finishing off the final year of my Bachelor of Arts at University as well as – EXCITING NEWS – getting a paid job working in the Gaming Industry as a Narrative Designer!
Anyway, here’s a project I’ve been working on for my final submission. Carrying on the them of Bloodborne, lore hunting and post-colonial discourse, this video takes an in depth look at The Old Hunters DLC and what’s going on behind the scenes and how it relates to Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
Lately, during my readings on the lore of Bloodborne I’ve noticed a reoccurring viewpoint regarding the religious aspects of the story and in particular the Healing Church of Yharnam. Many people have been quick to point out that although on the surface, the Healing Church appears to be a fictional version of Catholicism, it is in fact has more in common with eastern religions than anything else.
While this may be true, I don’t think it is as cut and dry as “one or the other”. Now, personally I’m no great expert on eastern religions and spirituality, so I will leave that aspect to those who are more studious than I in researching them. However, what I do know a lot about, and am somewhat of an expert in is Christian religion and theology. A lesser known fact about me is that I actually hold a degree in Christian Ministry and Theology from a past life/upbringing in Pentecostalism/desire as a young person to appease my traditionalist parents.
As such, I feel that although I am still in some ways very much a Bloodborne “Lore-hunter” noob, I can weigh in on at least this topic with a certain degree of accuracy. What I want to do in this piece is look at a few aspects of the Healing Church’s beliefs and then draw parallels between them and real-world theology and tradition in hopes that this might bring greater understanding to the complexity of this organization within the game world.
I’m only going to deal with four aspects initially in this article series (although I may add to this as time goes on). Although there are many more parallels, for the sake of brevity, this article is going to simply focus on components that I feel are the most interesting in the context of understanding the workings of the Church.
Authors’ note: This Post is Part 2 in a 2 Part Series. Click here for Part 1.
Authors’ note: Due to the nature of Bloodborne lore, certain bits of information in this article may change over time to reflect a more accurate understanding of the games’ story and mythology. While I will always try my best to deliver the most accurate information as possible, due to the constant changing nature of theories around Bloodborne I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy all the time. I will however strive to make sure that the post-colonial analysis of this series remain equally valid even if some of the smaller details do change.
Authors’ note: This Post is Part 1 in a 3 Part Series. Stay tuned for more.
Authors’ note: Due to the nature of Bloodborne lore, certain bits of information in this article may change over time to reflect a more accurate understanding of the games’ story and mythology. While I will always try my best to deliver the most accurate information as possible, due to the constant changing nature of theories around Bloodborne I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy all the time. I will however strive to make sure that the post colonial analysis of this series remains equally valid even if some of the smaller details do change.
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of From Software’s 2015 game Bloodborne. So much so, that I have already written articles about it several times in the past. Recently, during some academic study I have been doing, I was prompted to find myself a copy of RedGrave’s seminal work – The Paleblood Hunt and give it a read. The Paleblood Hunt which you can read here, is essentially an 80 page analysis of the complex and confusing story of Bloodborne by which, the author submits ten chapters unpacking each of the multifaceted stories contained within the game’s narrative, layering upon them as you read through, until hopefully the game makes a little more sense.
I hammer on a lot about storytelling in games. About how I am dissatisfied with the current way most games immerse the player into their tales, and how I believe we are heading towards a proverbial renaissance in which video games will one day be considered “on the level” along side other great pieces of literature in Film, TV and Prose writing.
As much as current interactive narrative annoys me, there are a few stand outs that I have come across over the last few years that give me hope we are heading in the right direction.
Because I don’t want to be a negative Nancy and get down on what the industry gets wrong, I thought it would be cool to take some time out for a few minutes to look at two games that I reckon get stuff right in regards to narrative.
I want to discuss in this article what exactly they succeed in and why, as well as suggesting how these certain techniques can advance our writing abilities in the industry.
The two games I want to look at here are DARK SOULS III and BLOODBORNE.
When I was 16, I set off on the journey of a life time. I answered the call to adventure and set out to save a universe in danger of total destruction. My friends stood at my side, defending me and fighting off the monstrous creatures which rose from the ground all around us. With a giant key shaped sword grasped in my hands, I learnt about bravery and courage, friendship and transformation, and when I saw my friends achieve their goals, reunite with their loved ones and live happily ever after (at least until the threequel), I’ll admit it, yeah, I cried.
I’m talking about of course, the 2006 SquareEnix release – Kingdom Hearts 2, a game that has been so engrained in my memory that I have the central character tattooed on my body. That game, although populated with silly, cartoony, Disney Characters had a profound effect on me. It was the first time that I discovered I could have a strong emotional reaction to a game and its story.
The Punk Writer. 