How important is the story to a two-dimensional game?
For this question, the captains of Crash 3 may be the most vocal group of players in recent times. With the launch of the 5.5 version of the new armored Youlandelle "Tianyuan Riding Ying", a "historical legacy problem" that runs through the plot of "Crash 3" has finally been solved - who is the real Chiana?
As the main character of Crash World, Chiana is a top priority in Both Crash Academy 2 and Crash 3. However, the two games are set in parallel worlds, and the chiana that the captains first encounter in Crash 3 is actually a clone K-423 created by Archbishop Otto to resurrect the Second Lawgiver. The unresolved appearance of "Zhenqi" is not only the "heart disease" of the players, but also the truth of the entire collapsed world, which has become one of the most concerned issues at the plot level.
Although in the past, many captains have deduced the identity of "Zhenqi" through various foreshadowings buried in the plot, the 5.5 version of the "official hammer" still makes them full of surprises. Because with the disclosure of the identity of "Zhenqi", "Crash 3" ushered in another climax of the plot development, and the world view has also been further improved and expanded. This makes players unconsciously pay unprecedented attention to the development of the game's plot.
A most vivid group portrait drama, everyone is the protagonist
For two-dimensional players, there is an essential difference between "character" and "standing painting". No matter how outstanding the artistic power, if it cannot be enriched with flesh-and-blood story shaping, then it is only a thin "paper man" after all. In the matter of character shaping, the choice of "Crash 3" is to polish a real "group portrait drama" over the years. Because in this increasingly vast stage, everyone can be the "protagonist".
Some people may retort that the story of "Crash 3" is not written around the Mizo family? Admittedly, from Chiana's "Arrival of the Queen", to Bronia's "Angel Reconstruction", to Bud Yi's "Sinner's Elegy", "Crash 3" uses a considerable amount of ink to build a stage with the Imperial Three Houses as the main body. But if we look at the other "green leaves" on this stage from another angle, it is not difficult to find that they are far from being "supporting roles".
For example, Teresa, who frequently goes out of the circle because of the stargazing style, not only has a topical appearance, but also contributes to the overall shaping of this role by the plot of "Shuo Night Stargazing". It is also through the development of personal plots that stargazing and captains have established a deeper bond, and at the same time, the character image is more full.
Not only is it "Beautiful Girl", but Otto, who is the "biggest behind-the-scenes black hand" of "Crash 3", is also a complex character with multi-faceted human settings. Some captains hated the protagonists and others because of the tragic lives he had brought to the protagonists and others, gritting their teeth and looking forward to his death; but at the same time, when the Archbishop of Destiny was about to leave the scene in pursuit of his "justice", Karen, the captains expressed the hope that his efforts would be exchanged for the result he wanted. In the new plot, he is about to die, but he still does not forget to give Teresa an elderly advice, which also leads to many captains directly "tear collapse".
Examples like this abound in the world of Crash 3. Through the combination of unit plot sections and fragmented content to outline the character image, "Crash 3" constructs a "group portrait drama" three-dimensional world. Around the main line plot, various characters take turns to appear, and their respective "highlight moments" not only enrich the shaping of personal images, but also exacerbate the contradictions and conflicts of the main line. The player is like being in it, experiencing the joys and sorrows of each character, and gaining the immersive experience of empathy in the ups and downs of the plot development.
As the strongest Valkyrie of Destiny who "exists in the setting from the beginning of the service", Youlandaire is undoubtedly the concentrated embodiment of this conflict. Although she appears in chapter three, it is not until chapter nine that she reveals her true face in the game for the first time. At this time, the players still do not understand the hidden story behind this mysterious character, but under the impressive appearance, the fortitude and coldness in The look in The Look in Youlandelle's eyes makes the players faintly feel that a bigger storm is coming.
In the subsequent plot, whether it is the collapse of Dubai alone in the comics, or the confrontation between Teresa, Nha Yi and even K-423 as a destiny force in the game, each appearance of Youlandelle is accompanied by fierce dramatic conflicts. It is also in this process that careful captains have found more and more clues in the plot that can explain the connection between Youlandaire and "Zhenqi", but they have never been finally confirmed. Until chapter 28 of the main story of the game, after Youlandelle finally saw the real Ziggy Fly after suffering hardships, the secret of "Zhenqi" finally came to light.
After years of speculation among players, the secret truth finally arrives with the new climax of Youlandelle's story and main story in version 5.5.
It is not only "filling the pit", but also the prelude to a new climax
Regarding the fact that Youlandaire is "Zhenqi", one of the most direct foreshadowings is reflected in the name of the character. Yulandelle's name is "Bianca" in Bianka, written in English, and if these letters are rearranged and combined, they can become Kiana B (Kiana Blond, the blonde Chiana).
In the game, this "blonde Chiana" often stands against the protagonist group in her position due to her belonging to the Mandate of Heaven force, and even "abducts" K-423. However, this unsmiling, upright "knight in the wrong camp" is the object of discussion among players. The reason for this is due to the depth of the characters of the writing team. The game's Youlandaire may sometimes be more like a "three-dimensional" character, and even discuss philosophical issues with the player from the perspective of the plot.
In order to better "fill the pit" in the main plot, in addition to the star anchor character activities in the game, the official also deepened the shaping of this key character through the exclusive visual novel "Youlandelle" and comics. Therefore, although the previous appearances in the game have mostly appeared in the form of foreshadowing or Easter eggs, the captains have already gained a deeper understanding of Youlandelle through this supplementary information.
In the community of Miyousha and Zhihu, players have conducted a lot of in-depth discussions about "Zhenqi" and Youlandell earlier. This actually increases the difficulty of "filling the pit" in "Crash 3" - since Youlandaire is "Zhenqi" has been guessed by players, how to make the subsequent plot development can mobilize the greater enthusiasm of the captains?
The production team's response was "more dramatic conflict." This conflict does not necessarily manifest itself as a sword-rattling, but also a position to strike the soul. As the gamewriter put it, "the opposite of justice can also be another kind of justice." Although standing on the opposite side of the protagonist group, Youlander always insists on his own "justice", which in a sense coincides with the protagonist group. Therefore, with the development of the plot, "two Chiana" achieved the coexistence of "unexpected and reasonable".
At the same time, Yulandelle, who once represented Otto in charge of the Mandate of Heaven, could not fully agree with Otto's "justice", so she had to face up to her differences with Otto. It is in this context that the 5.5 version pushes this dramatic conflict to a new climax: the power of Youlandaire awakens, and Otto ushers in the curtain. In the face of the reshuffle of the Mandate of Heaven, how Youlandelle continues to implement her "justice" will also arouse the greater expectations of the captains.
Tell a story well to exceed player expectations
If you want to understand the ambition of "Crash 3" in terms of plot, the ridicule of each other is the best portrayal. "Ship" refers to the old captains who play the story of amway to new players and recall their past after Meng Xin was "knifed" by the plot. From the prosperity of the "ship" culture, it is not difficult to see the success of "Crash 3" in terms of plot depth.
In fact, "Crash 3" does not deliberately "send a knife" in the plot shaping, which is more like a necessary means to tell a good story. Carefully considering the so-called "blade" plot is more often a choice that must be made under the fierce conflict of contradictions. This difficult choice of "the lesser of two evils" not only further deepens the connotation of the plot, but also allows players to think more in the immersive narrative experience, thereby strengthening their cognition of the collapsed world.
Because of this, in such a beautiful girl game, Otto, as a man, also has his own animated short film, which also triggers a heated discussion among players about him. The production team did this not only because Otto played a key role in the development of the main plot, but also because he himself is also a character with enough depth, and shaping him is also an important part of telling the whole story of Crash 3.
At the same time, the excellent plot performance of "Crash 3" not only affects the player, but also makes the long-term voice actors form a strong sense of substitution for the role. Previously, some voice actors had burst into tears when dubbing the "hair knife" plot, and the actors' emotional interpretation also fed the plot tension and aroused the emotional resonance of more captains.
On this basis, we can also better understand the subtlety of "Crash 3" in the handling of Thelandelle plot: the identity of "Zhenqi" was originally a bombshell, and its importance led to the fact that if it was not handled, the plot would be missing. However, through the long-term foreshadowing preset, players also have more psychological expectations for the identity of "Zhenqi", which in turn increases the difficulty of processing. Through more dramatic conflict implantation, the screenwriting team not only smoothly landed the satellite of "Zhenqi", but also the new contradictions brought about by it will further stimulate the players' full commitment and make them more full of expectations for the subsequent plot development.
Therefore, in such a cycle, we also see that in addition to the powerful artistic and technical power of the next-generation ACT mobile game, "Crash 3" is a more secret magic weapon - spare no effort to tell a good story, in a strong emotional resonance and deep realistic thinking, constantly strengthen the player's game cognition, and then continue to exceed the player's expectations with plot advancement.
On the occasion of the fifth anniversary, the official launched four documentaries, explaining the efforts of "Crash 3" in IP and ecological construction from the four perspectives of music, technology, IP and player culture. The plot, as the soul of the game, also runs through it and becomes the invisible main line of the series of documentaries. From this, we also found the vision of "Breaking Bad 3" to "tell a good story": no matter how the technology is iterated and how the picture is renewed, the original intention of the production team to tell a good story will not change. After five years of companionship, how "Crash 3" makes this "group portrait drama" more colorful will also arouse our imagination.