Game Essentials: Characters

Another fundamental aspect of the most fun games is the characters themselves. Whether animal, mythic, fantasy-based, historical, or licensed from a pre-existing franchise, well-designed characters, both player-controlled and NPC, help create memorable, immersive games. Both the Prince of Persia and Legend of Zelda series employ Carl Jung's character archetypes and character development elements like character triangles and arcs.

Archetypes:

> The Hero archetype, usually the protagonist of the game that drives the action, must undertake the Hero's Journey to solve a problem or conflict, facing challenges along the way to emerge transformed. Link and the Prince are obviously the heroes of their respective games, each taking on the responsibility of their quests to rid the world of evil and to restore peace and freedom. The hero often appears as the player's avatar, and should therefore be easy to identify with, likable, but perhaps with a flaw to reflect vulnerability. The Sands of Time Prince as well as Link in any of his adventures reflect a youthful innocence, and later, admirable dedication and courage to complete their quest. The young heroes' naivety could be considered their flaw to begin with, as it lands Link in trouble and leads the Prince to unwittingly unleash the devastating Sands, although the more mature Prince's reckless haste to rid himself of his curse also leads him to make the same mistake in Warrior Within.

A memorable appearance and special abilities are also instrumental in constructing an effective protagonist, which both games achieve- Though the Prince's appearance and personality change throughout the three games as his character evolves, they do so appropriately; he retains the muscled physique of an acrobatic warrior and a distinctive outfit (complete with flowing sash), though he sports a darker, rougher look in Warrior Within, complete with scars and tattoos, as well as the dualistic appearances of his two sides, a light and dark prince in The Two Thrones.

Twilight Princess Link is easily recognizable in the Hero of Time's characteristic green tunic and stocking cap (not to mention the Peter Pan tights) seen throughout the Zelda series, though his other accessories vary from game to game. When in the Shadow Realm, Link transforms into a wolf, though he still bears the same, bright blue eyes and earrings, and even performs similar fighting moves as his human counterpart. Each hero evolves abilitywise, adding more complex fighting moves to his repertoire and picking up new weapons and skills along the way.


> The Shadow archetype usually acts as the villain, playing opposite the hero to hinder him or her, often causing the problem they strive to solve or even representing their darker side. The Vizier makes an appearance as the Shadow in PoPs 1 and 3, responsible for having tricked the Prince into unlocking the Sands to aid his own quest for eternal life and domination in the first game, and for killing Kaileena and releasing the curse of the Sands once again in The Two Thrones. The Dahaka appears to in Warrior Within, representative in a way of the Prince's past mistake of interfering with the timeline; other minor NPCs like the sand creatures and minions that attack the Prince could be considered to be Shadows, collectively under the control of the Empress of Time. The Empress herself is a mistaken antagonist, a character that initially appears to be a villain but turns out otherwise- The Prince discovers Kaileena is the Empress herself, and had merely been posing as the Empress's servant to send the Prince on dangerous quests in the hope he wouldn't survive to slay her as she has forseen (thereby unleashing the sands contained within her he seeks to destroy), but she eventually helps him defeat the Dahaka in the end.

Various incarnations of the Ganondorf character appear as the Shadow in most of the Zelda games, where he tries posess all three pieces of the Triforce (Courage, Wisdom, and Power) to achieve invincibility and world dominion. He appears sometimes in his human form, a beast form called Ganon, and is also indirectly present in the Twilight Princess storyline, in which he has apparently given the evil Zant the power to take over Hyrule, covering its lands in twilight. The twilight creatures under Zant's control also hinder Link's quest to defeat Zant and restore the light.


> The Mentor archetype provides the Hero with wisdom or information, guiding them to action. The Mentor figure appears throughout both games, often functioning as an ally or secondary character as well, although the old man in Warrior Within makes a single appearance to start the Prince on his quest. Farah and Kaileena could be considered co-protagonists since they help the Prince fight off enemies in PoPs 1 and 2, though they also provide him with guidance and essential information.

The impish Midna similarly accompanies Link while in his wolf form in Twilight Princess, offering help and reminding him of what he needs to do to overthrow Zant. The Light Spirits Link meets along the way also act as mentors, in particular the wolf spirit ("Hero's Shade") that pops up from time to time to teach Link new hidden sword skills. The princess Zelda herself is also a mentor in her own right, telling him of the Hyrulian mythology, the Triforce, and how Zant came to power. Bo, the mayor of Link's village, becomes a mentor to him when he teaches him the art of sumo wrestling.


> The Herald is a character that facilitates change and gives the hero direction; the Prince of Persia's father appears breifly in Sands of Time, bringing the Prince with him to siege the fortress that contains the Sands he later releases. Other Heralds in the trilogy are Kaileena's henchwoman, Shadee, who attacks the Prince and lures him to Kaileena in Warrior Within, and Kaileena herself in The Two Thrones when the Vizier kills her and releases the Sands once more.

Link first discovers the Twilight Realm when he goes to rescue his friend Ilia, Colin, and some other children from his village, after they run off and are kidnapped by Zant's forces. Midna and Zelda could also be thought of as Heralds, introducing him to their cause and starting him on his quest.


> The Trickster is a character free from any set alignment who can be a mischief maker, a hero's sidekick, or even provide comic relief. The Dark Prince created when the Prince is infected by the Sands in The Two Thrones could be considered a Trickster, or perhaps even a Shadow archetype, overtaking the Prince for brief periods of time to wreak havoc or talking within the Prince's mind to steer him away from helping his people until the Prince is finally able to get rid of him at the end of the game, not unlike a transformational anti-hero that is punished at the close of the story.


> Allies are found throughout the Hero's Journey as well as enemies, aiding the hero with difficult tasks along the way. While the PoP trilogy doesn't contain any real allies besides Farah and Kaileena, Twilight Princess is chock full of helpful NPCs and secondary characters you can talk to, garner information from, buy useful items from, or recieve necessary gifts, skills, and weapons from. Notable allies include the chieftain of Kakariko village, Renado, that heals the sick Zora prince and protects the children Link brings to him for safekeeping, the Ooccoo that allows Link to warp in and out of dungeons, and Telma, a barkeep that harbors a secret society of people working to restore peace to Hyrule.

Character Triangles:

One way to create depth and add an element of interest to a game is to create a Character Triangle, forming a three-way relationship between contrasting characters. A traingle between the Prince, his companion, and a villain is a recurring pattern through all three games, in the cases of The Prince/Farah/The Vizier, The Prince/Kaileena/The Dahaka, and the Prince/Farah/The Vizier again in The Two Thrones. The addition of the Sand Wraith, the alternate identity the Prince takes on to travel back in time and stop the past version of himself from killing Kaileena when he discovers her death actually brings about the creation of the Sands, complicates the situation; something of a separate triangle forms between the Wraith, Kaileena, and the normal Prince, before the Wraith Prince defeats and replaces his former self in the Timeline in order to change his mistake. Again, another triangle can be drawn between the Prince in Two Thrones, the Dark Prince, and Farah.

In Twilight Princess,the triangle between the bearers of the three Triforce pieces practically names itself- the relationship between Zelda, Link, and Zant creates tension and thickens the plot. Another triangle exists between Link, Midna, and Zant, because although Midna is a creature of the darkness like Zant, she helps Link accomplish his goals as she works to overthrow her evil oppressor.

Character Arcs:

The way a character grows and progresses throughout the story is a character arc, organized through a hierarchy of needs and the shifts in their value systems.

Level 1: Protagonists may begin at the lowest Intrapersonal level, in which they are concerned only with their own needs. The Prince begins here, seeking personal honor glory in battle in SoT and respite from the fearsome Dahaka hunting him in WW.

Level 2: Both heroes then reach the Interpersonal level, bonding with other characters that they grow to love or care about. Link seems to have begun here in Twilight Princess, helping out his fellow villagers with baby rescuing, child-rescuing, and goat herding (GOAT IN!) right from the start. The Prince begins TT in this state, immediately acting to try and save his lover Kaileena when she is captured, and just as quickly striving to restore peace to his kingdom and avenge her death after she is killed to release the Sands.

Level 3: The heroes learn to work as part of a team, bonding with a group they belong in to help accomplish a goal. Link allies with Midna, Zelda, Telma, and other citizens of Hyrule to combat evil, while the Prince aids his fellow Babylonians in striking back at the Vizier and the sand creatures he commands to take back their city in TT.

Levels 4 & 5: The heroes eventually identify with the community, working in a larger network to defeat their foes and attain their goals to reach a self-actualizing sense of comfort, love, and acceptance among humanity.

Game Essentials: Story

I've always been a game enthusiast for as long as I can remember, though I admit I haven't quite played my fair share of videogames, especially the ones that are particularly old or new. Still, I've enjoyed enough to know that a driving and immersing storyline is essential to really getting me sucked in and hooked on any plot-reliant game.

Some of my all-time favorites are the classic Legend of Zelda games and Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia trilogy (minus the newest 4th installment, which however tragically, I haven't checked out yet since not having an Xbox bars you from experiencing anything recent and awesome). Both series are built on an imaginative, decidedly mythic plotline, in a world that's close enough to our own to relate to, and yet far enough away to allow us to escape from our daily realities when we play though it.

Seen in films like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, the monomyth of the "Hero's Journey" outlined by mythologist and writer Joseph Campbell is a pretty safe bet for any epic action/adventure game storyline. I've been something of a Joseph Campbell fan since I was eight, when my family first began our yearly ritual of watching the "Power of Myth" video series (VHS tapes, whaat??), and I've been able to notice his observations in a lot of the games I play. The Journey highlights an ages-old pattern of plot devices and characters that often fit Jungian archetypes, beginning with the hero's call to adventure, playing through the obstacles the hero faces on their quest to end up returning home, transformed through their experiences. I found this exemplified in each title in the Prince of Persia series, as well as the 13th Zelda excursion, Twilight Princess, which I have finally been obsessively playing through for the past few days after having first purchased it at the time of its release.



The Ordinary World from which the hero originates is clearly established in Twilight Princess as the bucolic and peaceful village of Ordon before the conflict is introduced and Link receives his call to adventure. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time begins during less expected everyday circumstances with the Prince's army is besieging an enemy city, though the opening cutscenes nevertheless describe the romanticized world of medieval India/Persia the story is to take place in. Both heroes are quickly thrust into an alternate world, Link into the realm of Twilight that has covered the lands of Hyrule in an ominous darkness, and the Prince into the catastrophic world he has created by unwittingly unleashing the Sands of Time; neither hero distinctly refuses their Call to Adventure, but each warrior discovers their destiny is something other than what they were expecting- the Prince leaves his visions of honor and glory behind to undo his terrible mistake, while Link discovers through the help of a light spirit that he has become entangled in a quest that is not merely to recover the lost children from his village, but that he is the champion that has been chosen by the gods, fated to face the forces of darkness and lift the twilight the evil lord Zant has cast over his homelands.


Farah, the Indian princess the Persian forces took captive, acts as the Prince's mentor figure in Sands of Time, lending him vital information and help after he's reduced his world to crumbling, sand-dusted ruins fraught with zombified soldiers and bloodthirsty, overgrown crows. A more traditional mentor appears in the second "PoP" installment, Warrior Within, where an old blind man appears in a flashback to tell the Prince he's messed up the timeline in the first game where he cheated death, so a big, shadowy, Balrog-type creature called the Dahaka is chasing after him to set things straight (like in those painfully terrible Final Destination movies- You really can't cheat death.) The Prince's encounter with the old man begins his quest, inspiring him to travel back in time to the birthplace of the Sands to ensure they are never created in the first place, and he will therefore be erased from the Dahaka's hit list. Link is given similar guidance in Twilight Princess from a variety of sources, ranging from the ancient light spirits that task him to free them, to the princess Zelda who describes how her lands came to be under Zant's control, and Midna, the shadow creature that accompanies you throughout the game and reminds you of your duties (she looks a little like a demon baby, but at least her unintelligible reminders are a step up from Navi's shrill, annoying outbursts.)

Once the heroes willingly commit to their tasks and enter the alternate world, they are tested through various challenges, and often meet up with allies and enemies along the way. This usually takes up the bulk of any lengthy action and/or adventure game like PoP or LoZ title. Zelda players know they can expect a dizzying swarm of quests and subquests from Twilight Princess, in which you spend hours running here and there over the non-linear environments of Hyrule, navigating dungeons, fighting baddies, herding goats, collecting "Tears of Light", delivering items, talking to countless NPCs, planting bombs near suspicious-looking rocks, trying out the minigames in the castle town, and throwing a bone for every dog you see or grabbing the nearest cucco to use as a hang glider in hopes you'll be rewarded with a hidden area, a heart piece to extend Link's health, or a few rupees to line your pockets (they apparently use the Indian monetary system in Hyrule too). Whether or not you feel obligated to test out every little detail, the non-linear gameplay and interactive citizens of Hyrule certainly create a depth and richness players have come to expect from a Zelda game.

While the Prince of Persia games do not possess such an open storyline and are not quite so vast or bursting with content, they do allow the player to explore as much as any decent platformer, navigating booby-trapped environments, finding allies and enemies along the way. As expected, no title in the PoP trilogy is devoid of sand creatures and evil minions to slay, though there are significantly less secondary characters or friendlies besides the Prince, a boss enemy, and a love interest or two in the worlds ravaged by the Sands of Time. In Sands of Time and The Two Thrones, the Prince teams up with Farah to combat the evil Vizier, though in Warrior Within the Empress [who turns out to be Kaileena] the still nameless Prince thought to be his enemy in Warrior Within ultimately

LE GASP! SPOILERS! SHIELD YOUR EYES!

becomes his ally and lover after he kills her, only to journey back before her death and save her instead after discovering destroying her is actually what creates the Sands. (Yes, it's probably crawling with plot loopholes, but even thinking about it usually gives you so much of a headache that you never actually grasp it enough to notice.)

The biggest challenge the hero faces in Campbell's Journey is the Ordeal, in which the hero faces the main villain and displays vulnerability. Though I admittedly haven't reached that point in Twilight Princess, I expect Link will eventually confront the evil Zant, and ultimately triumph even after signs of failure. In each PoP game, the Prince eventually comes to clash with the power-hungry Vizier, wresting control of the Sands of Time away from him to restore peace and freedom to the world the Sands have ruined. Even against all odds, with the help of Farah/Kaileena the heroic Prince defeats the Vizier/Dahaka and releases himself and the land from the curse of the Sands.


After the Ordeal, the heroes navigate The Road Back, choosing either to stay in the alternate world or return to the one they began in. Usually, the hero's triumph returns the world to its previous "rightful" state, as the Hyrule of Twilight Princess probably will be, just like in Ocarina of Time (Which Twilight Princess is basically a copy of formatwise what with the elemental dungeons and all, give or take a few plot changes and gameplay features- somewhat unoriginal, but still enjoyable). After finally finding the Vizier and the Hourglass he has stolen in The Sands of Time, the Prince stabs the Dagger of Time into the Hourglass, rewinding time to before the Vizier murdered Farah (who the Prince had fallen in love with by that point, of course), even before he released the Sands and his father's armies invaded her kingdom. Thus, he returns the world to its previous order, choosing to confront the Vizier and defeat him before he can work his evil and trick the Prince into releasing the Sands. The next two PoP installments, Warrior Within, and the Two Thrones individually end with enough of the Prince's triumph over evil (within and without himself) to leave the player satisfied, though they leave room for sequels, which the franchise can actually afford to do in this case without dragging out their success for too long. (Do we really need more Final Fantasy games or Simpsons episodes? I think not.)

The completion of the hero's circular journey and culmination of the story Campbell calls the Return with the Elixir is characterized by the hero's return home from the special world with their prize or after having completed their quest, and it is clear the hero has been transformed for the better by their experience. This is true in every adventure of Link or the Prince, as the player sees them through to victory in some way or another, and they emerge noticably different from how they began. Link, an unlikely hero, sheds his past identity of young villager to realize his inner strength and courage in order to help those in need, while the Prince evolves from a naive, glory-seeking youth to a battle-hardened warrior, capable of conquering himself as well as the evil and cruelty around him throughout the series; while Link can generally be found sporting the characteristic green tunic and stocking cap, the Prince even changes in appearance too, and for some reason strips from a longsleeved shirt and a headpiece to being topless in Sands of Time (I can just see him saying in his decidedly misplaced English accent "Oh look, Farah, I seem to have lost my shirt, how unfortunate". It'd fit right in with all the Prince's whiny monologues and the Prince and Farah's playful banter- That totally helped to make the game).


I actually loved the story of Sands of Time so much I secretly wished someone would eventually make it into a film, that is, until I learned they'd cast Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince and some pasty bitch as Farah (excuse me, "Tamina"). I'm still optimistic though- I'm not sure a Jerry Bruckheimer movie can go too much more wrong, especially with Ben Kingsley as the villain. And if someone doesn't make a Legend of Zelda movie soon instead of teasing us with fake movie trailers on April Fools, I will.

In short, a compelling story is an essential part of creating an effective game- Drool-worthy graphics and innovative gameplay aside, the story can make or break it in my opinion, and the framework of the mythic Hero's Journey is more than a good place to start.