r/gaming • u/Asianboiforwhitedad • 10h ago
Kingdom Come Deliverance studio co-founder says a lot of RPGs are 'still games for teenagers,' and that he's 'tired of all the RPGs where you are this chosen one'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/kingdom-come-deliverance-studio-co-founder-says-a-lot-of-rpgs-are-still-games-for-teenagers-and-that-hes-tired-of-all-the-rpgs-where-you-are-this-chosen-one/
8.7k
Upvotes
46
u/sirentropy42 9h ago
On the one hand, a good narrative tells the story of the person whose story is worth telling. In the majority of cases, this is going to give “chosen one” vibes.
There are some nifty twists on this where, say, the Hero of Kvatch (Oblivion) isn’t the chosen one. Tidus (FFX) isn’t really the chosen one either, but there’s a lot of supernatural nepotism there.
KCD provides the same sort of spin on things too, but from a much more historically realistic lens; the reason Henry’s story is worth telling isn’t some glorified upbringing, he’s just the guy who did things. It’s reminiscent to me of Yakuza in that way; the plot is driven by all manner of factors, factions, and actors within the Tojo Clan, but the story is about Kiryu, because he’s the one who dictates how it ends.
This issue isn’t RPG specific or even gaming specific. It’s just a fact about the limitations of narrative fiction as an entertainment form. The only game series I can think of off the top of my head that don’t fall into this trap are TLoU, Braid, and RDR.