darkstalkers felicia image

Narrative Review by John Baxa
Carnegie Mellon University
john.baxa@gmail.com
The Story
In the world of Darkstalkers, there exists the human world…
and the world of the Makai, a dimension ruled by a group
of powerful noble demons. The story of “Darkstalkers 3”
begins when Jedah, a powerful demon noble, is resurrected from a century long death. He awakens to an impure
Makai that disgusts him and decides that the only way to
save the world is to recreate it. He creates a new dimension called the “Majiden” and lures in powerful demons
and humans to use as sacrifices to power its creation. Each
character enters the “Majiden” with their own goals, but
many share a common struggle: They must fight for the
chance to be reborn.
Strongest Element
Morrigan and Lilith’s union. Morrigan offers Lilith her body as
a vessel in a moment where the two characters are
simultaneously mother and daughter, lovers, and two halves
of the same whole. This gift marks a pivotal growth for
Morrigan, a selfish and aloof character. After Morrigan absorbs Lilith, she unknowingly receives the final piece of her
identity she’s been seeking. At the end of her story, Morrigan is flying high, excited by the world, feeling as if she
can do anything and sees the world through new eyes. She
emerges from the crucible of the game renewed in a way
the player may not have expected.
Weakest Element
The Cast
Main Characters
Morrigan
Jedah
The aloof,
succubus anti-hero
looking for new
experiences
The villainous
reaper Lich bent
on recreating
the world
Lilith
The missing third
of Morrigan’s soul
desperate to
keep her body
Sasquatch. He’s cute, lovable, and untroubled... and
tonally distant from many of the characters in the game.
Most characters are reaching the end of series-long arcs,
dealing with sacrifice, death, and apocalypse. Sasquatch’s
ending involves him eating bananas with his tribe. His
inclusion in the story makes sense as comedic relief, but
his static development feels less meaningful and fulfilling
than other characters’ arcs.
Side Characters
Lessons Learned
An interesting dramatic question
Hsien-Ko
Two sisters trapped
in zombie form,
trying to get home
Felicia
Rikuo
Viktor
A kind catwoman
starting a career
as a singer
A merman searching
for the few living
members of his kind
A monster collecting
souls to bring his
sister back to life
•Most fighting games’ stories operate under the conceit of a “fighting tournament.” Here, a far more interesting question is asked:
“Who will be reborn?”, which leads to more meaningful stories.
Collections of stories to explore a theme
Highlight
•Anthology narrative structure can be an effective medium to explore a theme, story, or dramatic question from numerous angles.
The Fetus of God stage. It’s a pulsating, cavernous womb
littered with phallic cilia and a giant demonic fetus. It’s body
horror done well--it’s gross, mesmerizing, and uncomfortable to look at let alone fight in. Here, the game takes the
theme of rebirth and makes it concrete. You battle Jedah
in this demonic womb and whoever emerges victorious will
get the second chance at life they desire.
Ludonarrative synchronization
•Story and theming unite with mechanics (e.g., “damage gauge
system”) to create a fast and brutal, yet harmonious, gameplay
experience.
The genre is still limited
•Despite its strengths, Vampire Saviour is confined by the fighting
game genre’s reduced focus on story. More can be done to
explore how the genre can offer rich opportunity for characterfocused journeys.