Written by Tanner Banks, June 12, 2016, at 10:24 a.m.
Video games are an art form. There is a large constituency in the art world that says video games are not art, but instead a product. The argument that a novel form of expression not being art is nothing new. It took film decades to be considered an art, and not some consumer ploy, the same with television.
Now, film studies is couched under the arts and sciences school where I study. How long it will take for video games to be considered an art by most is a difficult question. But looking at the trailer for Transmission, the latest feature for Kick Ass Kickstarter, proof of the art of video games is becoming clearer.
Kick Ass Kickstarter: Transmission
Just… look at it. In less than two minutes, without a single spoken word, Paper Unicorn Games, the developers of Transmission, were able to accomplish so much. From the first few seconds you knew that the game would be more than just different, it would be unique.
The art style and set pieces were breathtaking, with a mix of hand painted art work and cel-shaded characters. This allows the background art to look and feel like a living painting while adding emphasis to the characters in the foreground.
The streams look so real that you can actually feel the cool breeze accompanying that location and hear the gentle rippling from the water. Even though the only sound you can hear is the background music, the sense of sound for his footsteps, the water, and wind showed that the game could truly suck you into its world.
One major advantage that video games have over other forms of art is the interactivity that comes with it. An engrossing video game can place you into the moment more so than any film, song, painting, or piece of literature.
Meanwhile the second image that I’ve added showcases another important aspect of Transmission and its trailer. Scale. The sense of scale that you get from this game is truly astounding to behold. These large set pieces don’t just look large, they feel gigantic.
While I won’t go as far to say that I was getting vertigo from the cliff-side walk scene, I did feel a small drop in my stomach. The sense of scale is achieved through other scenes as well. When something needed to feel insular, like when the main character is in the room with the geodesic dome, there’s a sense of isolation. Only you and the dome. Whatever it may hold.
The story also promises to be a rich and engrossing experience. Transmission is being billed as both an outer journey and an inner journey. The story will be told through the painted imagery like the gameplay, while also being brought to life with movement and music.
These scenes will offer glimpses of the protagonist’s past, which will slowly be pieced together via exploration. The more you explore the outer world, the more insight you gain into your past. Hopefully Transmission‘s form of exposition will be effective in telling the story without grinding the pace to a halt.
From a gameplay perspective, Transmission looks like the next action adventure game to satisfy the nostalgia of yore, while also maintaining a sense of individuality. The game will feature my favorite kind of combat style, tactical. Little health, lots of enemies, and few options.
Too often, games are little more than a glorified power trip, showcasing an invincible protagonist, and only cosmetic differences in how to defeat an enemy. I’ve talked in the past how hard games are good for gamers, and after the hair-ripping experience that was Hyper Light Drifter, I maintain my position. The satisfaction from beating a hard game is something that I will always cherish.
In addition to the tactical combat the game promises to have a crafting element to the game. According to the Kickstarter page, whenever a player finds a workstation, they will be able to use the station to:
“craft special equipment and weapons from the supplies you retrieve via exploration and combat. Items can also be broken down into raw materials (supplies), in order to craft new items.”
When creating something new, players can either look for the schematics to get the recipe or experiment with the materials and try to discover the combination themselves. This combination of rewarding discover and experimentation is a welcome addition.
The game will also include puzzles that can be solved to unlock areas, special secrets, and the like while making sure you don’t overlook the interactive aspects of the environment itself. Games that turn the setting into a character, rather than a set piece are a good indicator of a higher level of polish in my opinion.
But perhaps the feature I’m most interested in, is the home base. On your downed space ship, you’ll be safe from the dangers of the alien world. During this respite, Transmission promises to allow the player to:
research items, craft necessary equipment, speak to your Onboard Computer, get some needed rest, and a variety of other options as you progress further in your journey.
The Onboard Computer is your companion, named the Sentient Artificial Mainframe or SAM 4600. SAM will help you with clues, give advice to your surroundings, and occasionally chat with you while waxing philosophical about life, the universe, and everything. Not only will SAM be accessible while on base, but SAM will also follow your every move via a helmet camera, so it will be with you every step of the way.
I mentioned that video games have an interactive advantage over other art forms, but the other advantage they have is quite ingenious. They can be all other kinds of art, while maintaining its own. A video game can be a painting, while being a video game. It can be a musical, while being a video game. It can be a narrative, while being a video game. Very few games can effectively use all forms of expression simultaneously, but Transmission looks like it has the tools to do so.