arriving to departure.

arriving to departure.

So I just finished playing Tale of Tales' The Graveyard "game" on Steam (it's slightly different than the free demo). It was one of the 2009 Independent Games Festival's finalists in the innovation category, and I was pleasantly surprised after my quick run through. The game is essentially 10 minutes long, and more of what I'd imagine to be a gallery piece (does that sound odd?) or even what one could imagine to be a short film.

Essentially (sorry to spoil it to everyone), you "control" the main (and only) character who is an elderly woman walking through a graveyard until you reach a bench. At this point a cutscene focusing in on the old woman and a music cue are triggered. Afterwards, you simply leave the graveyard (you walk out in the demo version).

Simple enough. Does that bore you?

Well, I love the symbolism and method that this work embraces, and truly believe that if it had simply been a film, its point and impact would not be as great.

As you start the game, you are sent into a monotonous world, slowly venturing through a graveyard. . . and when I say slowly, I really mean it. The animation and movement embody that of an old woman, and as you continue walking, your character begins to limp and utilize her crutch, only to progress even slower. After a brief pause, she may build up a little more stamina, but a bad knee is a bad knee, and she promptly begins to show her handicap once more. Her pace is also emphasized with the juxtaposition of the easy and swift movements of the birds playing/flying in the graveyard. Visually, they did a simple, yet efficient job of portraying movement. And while the path to her goal (the bench in the back of the graveyard) may appear fairly short, the developers have also created a unique feeling of sentiment for the elderly woman that would not be as prominent if it had simply been a film. To control, dare I say "feel" this woman's handicap and its influence, is an interesting and much more powerful approach.

Of course there was plenty of symbolism involved as well. Most of it is fairly self-explanatory, I mean, yes, you are walking in a graveyard :). But the subtle touches are nice, such as portraying the passage of time through the environment (the leaves floating from the trees depicting the season fall, the presence of gravestones, etc.), and even the monotonous color palette which seems to sarcastically announce, "why yes, death is black and white, it is bound to happen." I especially like the idea of her "long voyage" and her ultimate resting on a bench (what a funny, yet simple way to depict life). Oh, and another funny thing, you may deviate from the set path, but the camera will not follow you off screen, and ultimately, you must return your character to her inevitable path (I suppose I like to move non-linearly in games, haha).

Sound design was nicely done through artful minimalism, as they utilized only the sounds of nature paired with the woman's heavy footsteps (though you hear a little bit of car and dog ambience which decrease as you walk further). Through this, they were able to emphasize the lyrics of the soundtrack that plays once you reach your goal. Basically, the song goes through the lives of people who have died, some unexpectedly, and the cleaning of graves. I wonder if it is referring to her friends or relatives. . . I also almost want to say it reminds me of how some cultures (i.e. the Philippines) have a tradition of cleaning their relatives graves once a year, and often go over their lives. I suppose it's a way of caring and thinking of those who are no longer here. Anyways, the lyrics have a wonderful poetic depth to them, ultimately coming to the notion that she is calm and accepting that she may die soon as well. The 3 minute composition itself is a gem as well, with a nice choice of instrumentation. I almost want to compare the ending of the piece to be similar to that of a music box slowly coming to a stop. Oh, but did I mention? As the song is playing, her head lulls forward and her cane drops. Yes. . . that's right. She passes away as the song is still playing.

I was in awe.

Here I was basking in the meaning of the lyrics, and without warning, the woman dies. Though she dies during the cutscene, was it necessary to play as her? Yes. The level of immersion (though brief) completely alters experience and connection to the woman, and ultimately delivers the message to a higher degree.

Now I call this a gallery piece, because to me, this is something that isn't necessarily about gameplay or mechanics, but more centered around the art and message of the piece as a whole. Maybe my terminology isn't correct. To me, it is definitely not something that a person would play for the sake of playing. The Graveyard is a brief visual and auditory art piece that utilizes the interactive nature of video games.