What a dumb stupid trek this area has been. It's not JUST that I'm bad at all games, but it's so the fact that the part I just cleared had some of the most frustrating enemy placement I can recall. The two archers on the ledge were such a huge roadblock for me. I ended up spending hours just trying to get past them. They weren't the only cause for frustration, mind you. The big iron guardians and the electric spear demons had their moments, but navigating that ledge made me feel helpless.
But that's in the past now. It can't hurt me anymore.
I think.
Now, I am navigating through huge... castles, I guess. For some reason I'm not getting a castle-y vibe from them but whatever. Common language prevails. I guess it's a castle.
Anyways. I wanted to talk about Anor Londo's aesthetic. While I am not a fan of the perpetual sunset color scheme, I do adore the building aesthetic and architecture here. The vaulted ceilings, large windows, and the tiling of the floor speak very well to me. I am reminded of Kamurocho in Yakuza 0. Not only do both Anor Londo have a strong sense of what they are, but also when. Kamurocho feels like a bustling, crowded Japanese city, and Anor Londo feels like a castle town, full of estates and buildings on the horizon. The wide sweeping walkways between buildings by the first bonfire make it feel like it could have been a busy throughway between the high ceiling chapels.
Anor Londo actually feels very Dungeons and Dragons to me. This area feels like it could be part of an abandoned castle town that a party of adventurers explore, dealing with the living armor guardians, and the demons that moved in. Hell, even the monstrous blacksmith in this area feels like a nice enough dude who is just doing his job. You could make a hell of a mid-level adventure out of this place.
Thematically, this place is the strongest for me so far. The Lower Burg tells an interesting story as well, as an undesirable place to be, acting as the literal foundation for the city above, but I really enjoy the design of Anor Londo... Apart from the unfair enemy placement on the walkway.
With that section behind me, what's next? Well, I can get back into the castle easy now, and decide if I want to deal with the iron knights everywhere. I could backtrack through the building and go through the fireplace stairway I found and see where that goes (which I think is the play here). Or I can try to go down to the main floor of the castle, and try to deal with the shiny friends there. Decisions abound.
I do want to talk about sense of place in some games, and just highlight some ones that I really love. Kamurocho and Sotenbori feel so excellent to be in. Kamurocho feels like a bustling city during the real estate boom of the 80s (obviously). The neon lights everywhere, the chatter, the cramped feeling of the alleyways... It makes you feel like you know this place after spending a few hours there. The environment serves the theme.
Final Fantasy XV qualifies as well. Not so much because it's a place I love exploring, but it feels like a for real road trip game. You're cruising the roads of varying quality, dumb chatter going on between friends, and you're driving past towns and cities along the way. You stop at a local diner to get their take on a popular food, or find local treat that you can't find anywhere else. Setting matches themes perfectly.
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild conveys a sense of emptiness with pockets of civilization, following the calamity that befell Hyrule. It feels lonely to wander sometimes, but it also feels peaceful. On a sunny day, watching some deer or rabbits run around fills my heart with mirth.
I want to like the feeling of Anthem. Anthem, on the surface does a lot of things right. It has the small hub area that they want you to explore and learn the name of each person in town. The big open areas try to tell some sort of story, with the wreckage. It doesn't do it for me. It doesn't tie together in a way that resonates with me.
A strong sense of place can really convey emotions and feelings to the player. It's great to be able to say "What lies beyond" or "what happened here" or "What else is here" are such interesting questions and feelings to have when playing a game. It's not a matter of just checking boxes about what to include, after all, I can find scurrying wildlife in Anthem, but it also has to connect with the player.
It's really hard to put this into words, as it is so closely tied to feelings and emotions. You could point me to several games that look like they have these details and unified themes, but if I'm not connecting to an area, then it's theme or aesthetic aren't as appealing.
I'll just wrap this here: Anor Londo is cool to look at and explore.
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