Situations feel so dire in some games that there’s rarely time to explore the world or get to know the characters. Even story-based games become almost stoically linear. Telltale’s TWD/GoT games are perfect examples of this. By design, the extreme linearity of these games, when paired with dire circumstances, create tension and inevitably grab the attention of players by way of shock factor, sort of like a TV cliffhanger. But shock factor isn’t always enough. Sometimes, there’s a sort of magic that happens when we’re faced with something more ordinary in a genre where we’ve come to expect Red Weddings and red, well, everything.

The Importance of Pacing

It comes down to pacing. Telltale’s games have made me a little numb to dire circumstances and death simply because there’s so much of both. It’s akin to watching too many horror flicks. When you’re overexposed to shock elements, they start to lose their value. As gamers, when we’re overexposed to horrific situations, we often learn to just kind of shrug at the story and run towards the next objective, getting through the game as quickly as possible. But games that are paced differently, utilize a breadth of storytelling options, and aren’t always so grim are often the ones that surprise the most.

For example, in The Last of Us, we get a few beautiful scenes of character development and backstory that truly let the light of the characters through. The one scene that comes to mind immediately is the giraffe scene, where both Ellie and Joel take a moment to experience just how wondrous it is to see giraffes wandering contently through an environment torn asunder. Beaut and nature survive the apocalypse when most humans cannot. Hope remains. Scenes like this take us out of the grim reality of the game for a moment, completely change the pacing, and give us a chance to breathe. They also emphasize how beautiful and artful the video game medium can be.

Similarly, Life Is Strange is full of hopeful moments like this. We witness how Max emotionally handles the confusing situation she’s in by playing through her story, but also during the quieter moments when she reflects on what’s going on during optional cutscenes. These scenes play voiceovers of her inner thoughts while the camera pans around her surroundings in a peaceful manner that seems separate from reality itself.

Max and Chloe, despite being estranged for years, take time to reflect and be nostalgic. We find out about their history by exploring the game environment and finding clues in mementos and souvenirs from younger, happier times. We watch Chloe encourage Max to be herself and be happy with who she is, even though she knows the young woman is struggling to figure out her odd powers. Even most of the game’s soundtrack speaks of happier, hopeful times. All of this lets us get to know Max and Chloe more deeply than through mere gameplay alone.