We’ve gone from the horrors of war to horrors of a more supernatural persuasion. And though we would all do better if we worked as a team, old habits and grudges die-hard.
Hopefully, acharky and I can overcome them before it’s too late.
I must admit that I did not anticipate the direction this story was going to take. Historically, Dark Pictures games always have mundane explanations to explain the supernatural elements to their stories, but that’s clearly not the case this time around.
I’m sure if I looked, I would find other vampire fiction where the bloodsuckers are actually parasitic organisms from space. But for me, it’s a novel interpretation of one of the oldest monsters in the books. Certainly not the first one I would come up with, and yet it really works for the story they’re trying to tell.
The other thing worth calling out is how tastefully they handle the Iraqi character, Salim. Given the setting, it would have been so easy to demonize him and make him into an absolute villain. Thankfully, they chose not to take that tact. Rather, he is frequently the most emotionally intelligent character in the game, realizing quickly that there’s no need for the human characters to go against each other.
They also don’t attempt to whitewash the reasons why America went to war in the Middle East for most of my lifespan. Nor do they shirk from the real human costs of the war, both in terms of the damage it did to the Middle East and to the soldiers who were deployed. I was not expected to be allowed to let Jason open up about all of his damage to Salim, but I am thankful the option exists in the game.
Next week is the finale, so look forward to it! ^_^
Leave a Reply