Before we begin, you may be wondering why most of these posts are numbered "001" so far. Well, this game is, as explained in the first post, a huge game. It's vision is so large that in order to understand the game properly, you would have to play it. Seeing as it's in it's early asset creation stages, that is impossible. Therefore, the posts on each feature will be broken into parts, with the labels of 001, 002, 003 and so on acting as part numbers. While the introduction touches on various points and explains the general plot, there are many more gameplay features to explain.
And now, it's time to talk about missions.
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| A screen from the mission, "Churchfall", as seen in the introductory post. This image is a rough concept of what gameplay will look like and it is in no way finalized. |
A usual game mission involves some kind of objective set by an NPC in a long cutscene, which also sets up the story of the mission. Events happen according to how they were written by the writer and designed by the designer. This has become a part of almost every game today. But what they are missing, as many like to talk about, is a complete blend of gameplay and story. You halt gameplay to give story, usually via a cutscene. Some games, such as Bastion, narrate the story according to what the player is doing. This is a step in the direction of seamless story/gameplay integration. In Mortal Spirit, the main character, Host, comments on events throughout. This could get annoying if handled improperly. Cutscenes are spare, and interactions with NPCs are short, cutting back on boring the player with endless dialogue, usually filled with exposition, to click through: ("The time is nigh for a harvest festival! You know, the festival where the pumpkins are tossed into the air. I tossed a pumpkin that broke the world record once..." etc etc).
If exposition isn't conveyed through NPC interaction and spoken exposition, how is it conveyed? Well, Host's voice acts as a guide when the player is unsure where to do go next, but story is usually revealed to the player through the environment and dialogue of overheard characters. In other words, backstory isn't forced in your face in a cutscene. It's there for the player to discover for themselves. When backstory is crucial to the plot, Host will comment on it for a little, but for the most part it will be up to the player to find out more about what Host touched on briefly.
Missions have recognizable "start" and "end" points, but again these are never properly defined. The player may overhear an NPC talking and find out about a monster attack and investigate. Or the player may get a key from a vanquished monster and use it to open a gate to a new part of the game world.
This is most definitely a player-driven game. It's up to you to explore, or remain where you are. The main plot will continue in a lateral fashion if you decide to do whatever the game tells you, but the missions are mostly designed to be found by the player themselves.
The missions are designed around what you do, and there are various ways to complete them.
Some may tell you more about the characters, or reveal new characters, or just give you an item. Or all of the above. There are missions that are harder to find, missions that are part of the main story, missions that you can complete on the side that add to the story, and much more.
In the demo version of this game, there will be thirty missions for you to find and play through. In the final game, there will be more than a hundred.
That about wraps up the first missions post. Look for another monster feature soon!
