The narrative and story of my game are essential to the experience I want the player to have, it is key that they are outlined and made apparent. Although ‘narrative‘ and ‘story‘ may seem very similar, there are key differences between them, especially when it comes to video games.

• Story – What happens in the game, the events that take place, the characters, settings etc.
• Narrative – How the story is conveyed, how it unfolds, and how the player interacts with it.

Story

Although it isn’t made apparent to the player at the beginning of the game, there are two stories that take place within the game. The main one that is handed and shown to the player from the game’s introduction is that of the ‘Knight‘ – a tragic yet cliché tale of a Knight losing his beloved to the hands of a seemingly all-powerful evil entity. However, behind this main story lies another hidden one – the story of a young boy plagued with emotional and psychological abuse; using nothing but his toys and his imagination to escape from a reality he despises.

Narrative

The narrative that pushes the Knight’s story will be a straight-forward and easily digestible one. NPC dialogue, cutscenes etc. will all portray the story directly to the player – telling them what has happened, what they must do next and what the overarching goal is. To save the Knight’s loved one from the grasp of the Demon King, however, the players freedom allows them to ignore these nudges towards the story in order to unravel the hidden story that lies deeper.

The narrative of the young boy’s story will be much more cryptic and will require the player’s effort to unravel for themseles. This hidden story will be hinted at through item descriptions, ‘unused’ parts of the map and rarer dialogue from obscure NPCs.