Storytime

So. Firewatch. I played this game a while ago, and it's still one I recommend to anyone who'll listen. Firewatch centers on Henry, an out-of-shape average guy who, after a difficult time at home, moves to Yellowstone National Park to work as a....fire...watcher? The person who keeps an eye on the park and notifies the authorities if there is a fire. Anyway, the game's strengths come in the story and the way it is presented. The only person Henry interacts with through the whole game is Delilah, a woman with the same job as you who you never actually meet. You speak to her through your radio. As you walk around the park, doing your job, talking to Delilah, a bit of intrigue comes up and then story unfolds.

The story isn't what I'm here to talk about though. I'm here to talk about the characters. Campo Santos did probably the best job I've ever seen in a game simulating real human conversation. There are a number of subtitles that, if you know about human communication, you'll notice the creators have taken into account. This works particularly well in Firewatch as communication really is the core of the experience. Whether people realise it or not, this makes Henry and Delilah two of the most believable characters in all of gaming. The breaks between speech, the realistic reactions and intonation of the voice actors...this may sound stupid but you'll be amazed how often these things are overlooked.

Real human speech, with actual emotional depth is a really difficult thing to simulate. Not just in games, but in movies and television as well. This alone encourages the player to really engage with the story. I know in my experience, the story gripped me. I have to attribute that to the dialogue, pretty much entirely. Throughout the game, you decide what to message Delilah with, what information to share and withhold with/from her, and that alone makes anyone more engaged.

Now, in my game, Hearth, I took inspiration from another indie title with incredible storytelling...namely Kentucky Route Zero. In KRZ the dialogue is presented line-by-line. Every line of dialogue is simple, easy to understand and powerful, as well as being relevant.

I love the idea of the powerful line. 1 line can make someone feel something so strongly, which is why lyricism is such a skill. In Hearth I wrote the characters dialogue line-by-line. The character's stories are comprised of 3 lines, spoken one after the other in a specific order. The dialogue was designed to be powerful, impactful and universally accessible. To me, that's the trick to writing good dialogue. If your dialogue isn't accessible, then not everyone will understand it, and if there is one thing that I never want to do as a game developer, it is to isolate and alienate any member of my potential audience. This can be unavoidable depending on the games I end making, but as a rule, I'd rather not.