Game Narration

[Spleens]

I personally found the first two games cringeworthy, mostly due to how forced I felt the narration in the games was.

It'll be interesting to see how they do it in a 'team' rpg. I honestly couldn't stomach a third game with this style of storytelling.

[kid_zomb]

You're in luck! Pyre may be cringeworthy in completely new ways!

The story is delivered primarily using the age-old tradition of text, although I think we do some interesting stuff with it, in the same way as we endeavored to do interesting stuff with voiceover in Bastion and Transistor. There is still a lot of voiceover, though it's mostly used in the specific context of the ritual competitions that form the center of the game's battle system.

If you didn't enjoy Bastion or Transistor, I think it's possible you'll like Pyre more, especially if you prefer RPGs over the more action-oriented feel of our first two games. Although, the folks we think of first and foremost in answer to the question of 'who is this game even for?' are fans of our previous two games, who we generally think are open to new kinds of play experiences, having taken a chance on Bastion and Transistor to begin with. Hope you enjoy Pyre if you decide to give it a shot! Appreciate the feedback on the narration in our first two games. It's totally understandable that not everyone would care for it, though it was something we wanted to explore nonetheless.

[Spleens]

Fantastic, looking forward to it then :D

Edit: The gameplay on transistor was outstanding by the way

[Antiquary]

Best dev answer of the year. Bastion's narration was excellent, but it was a step too far with Transistor and I couldn't get into that at all with not being engaged properly as audience and gamer. Will be keeping a close eye on Pyre.

And I understand that teens are embarrassed by everything, but aren't they embarrassed by overusing the word cringe yet?

[Naked Master]

Originally posted by kid_zomb:

You're in luck! Pyre may be cringeworthy in completely new ways!

omg,Greg,you're a savage

[Herzaaa]

"Cringe" is like the most retarded word people started using in the last 2 years, pretty much describing everything with it. Also, im curious what non "cringe" storytelling is to you if you actually think transistor and bastion was "cringeworthy"

[N O r]

hmm i think Logan Cunningham was superb on both bastion and transistor , hope he is in pyre also...

maybe have both narrator and text and give the option to turn off one or the other?

[kid_zomb]

Originally posted by N O r:

hmm i think Logan Cunningham was superb on both bastion and transistor , hope he is in pyre also...

Don't you worry, Logan is in this game A LOT.

The voiceover you hear in some of our trailers for Pyre is his! The principle character he plays serves as an announcer of sorts throughout the game's ritual competitions. Logan plays a variety of other characters in the game, too. Look for his name in the end credits and I bet you'll be surprised!

[It's Dunk]

"The Kid just thrashed around for a bit."

[Rygel]

Hey Greg, thanks for being so involved and positive with the community. You guys are consistently releasing truly original games; I hope you pay a visit to GiantBomb when you clear release! :)

[Killer Rabbit]

Someone describing the narration in Bastion as "cringeworthy" must either be a communist or is someone who hates all the puppies and kittens in the world.

[Tripas]

Originally posted by kid_zomb:

Logan plays a variety of other characters in the game, too. Look for his name in the end credits and I bet you'll be surprised!

I can see it now:

CREDITS

Hedwn - Logan Cunningham

Lendel - Logan Cunningham

Rukey - Logan Cunningham

Jodariel - Logan Cunningham

Wagon sound effects - Logan Cunningham

Little Girl - Logan Cunningham

Nolan North - Logan Cunningham

[nakoda]

I agree, actually.

I couldn't finish Bastiion or Transistor with the sound on, because after awhile the excessive and repetitive narrations kept pulling me away from just playing the games.

And I'll be frank, I find Cunningham's voice acting to be forced and unnatural.

The gameplay of your titles is above and beyond, however, that is where your strength has always been, IMO.

[GuudBooi]

Originally posted by #divideby8:

I agree, actually.

I couldn't finish Bastiion or Transistor with the sound on, because after awhile the excessive and repetitive narrations kept pulling me away from just playing the games.

And I'll be frank, I find Cunningham's voice acting to be forced and unnatural.

The gameplay of your titles is above and beyond, however, that is where your strength has always been, IMO.

Yhea i heard some same complaints on some transistor reviews, honestly i had no problems with the voice of Logan in Bastion, but in Transistor i had to get kinda used to at the start and then loved it anyway.

[Mr. Matt]

I thought the narration and the music were the best parts of Bastion. It couldn't save Transistor for me, though. I'm not sure what it was, but the setting, story, and gameplay just couldn't draw me in for some reason. Pyre being a "series of competitions" makes it sound like a MOBA or something, and the video footage I saw on the store page left me unsure what this game is supposed to be like, much like its description.

I'm definitely waiting for user reviews on this one, because I can't get a bead on what this game is from the store description. Also, the bit about continuing if you fail and the story differing makes it sound like the game will autosave if I lose a battle (which I will, because I suck), and then my ending/events will be subpar for the remainder of the game and I can't go back for a do-over. =/

[kid_zomb]

Originally posted by Mr. Matt:

Also, the bit about continuing if you fail and the story differing makes it sound like the game will autosave if I lose a battle (which I will, because I suck), and then my ending/events will be subpar for the remainder of the game and I can't go back for a do-over. =/

I wanted to address this specific concern.

You can choose to restart a Rite at any given point, if you want. While the game does autosave, you should have plenty of time to restart in a given situation before the autosave kicks in, if that's the way you want to play.

To us this is about the player's comfort and desired type of experience. You never _have_ to restart. And, while the outcomes absolutely can affect subsequent story events, it should not be seen as a matter of 'good' vs. 'bad' endings or anything like that -- that is just not how we roll when it comes to our stories.