DEREK EX MACHINA, created by author and editor Derek L.H., is a blog dedicated to exploring the effect that video games and film have on people.
All tagged Story Analysis
I’ve had difficulty praising Ghost of Yōtei ever since completing it, mostly because its positive qualities are clearly self-evident to anyone that’s already gotten a taste of this series with Tsushima. Ghost of Yōtei doesn’t add many new reasons to like this style of game nor does it create new positive qualities about it that were completely absent in what came before.
Not only is Expedition 33 a fun RPG, it’s an unflinchingly courageous one. It tackles ambitious narrative themes, has tantalizingly deep mechanics that lead to boundless customization and player expression, and boasts the production value of a game that has ten times its budget. Expedition 33 punches above its weight in pursuit of a more idyllic landscape for games.
Spirited Away’s thematic density and depth are precisely what elevate it to greatness. Even I, as someone that takes issue with some major elements of the film, can comfortably call Spirited Away a masterpiece because it’s a film that begets looking at the world in so many different ways.
Through utilizing fantasy elements to illustrate the importance of teaching future generations of their cultural backgrounds, Wolf Children tells a story that feels as deeply moving and informative as it feels entertaining and fun. Wolf Children holds within it a perfect balance of humor, heartbreak, and emotional erudition.
Exhibiting Forgiveness is an emotional adventure that smartly and gracefully investigates how the broken relationships of the past can inform the new relationships we build in the future. This film excellently reveals information to its audience in a way that humanizes the very real pain experienced and brought about by its characters in honest, profound way.
Through intelligent framing and using the audiences familiarity with the film’s genre against them, Strange Darling subverts and weaponizes audience expectations, making them just as much of a victim as the many characters who get bested in the film.
There’s very much a strong core to Yakuza 3. There’s nothing explicitly bad or unenjoyable at the game - it just feels like a victim of a series that naturally improved its execution of its ideas over time. Later games refining what Yakuza 3 brings to the table isn’t the fault of Yakuza 3, but it does highlight how unpolished and unrefined Yakuza 3 is as a result.
