Aspect Analysis - Breath of Fire 2 and Building a Threat.

Other then the normal spoiler warning, I figured I'd add in there is a bit of a joke I wrote into this article, in which each time I refer to the villain I use one of his alternate names. If you are reading this article and haven't played the game, which you should do before reading, it probably gets a bit confusing if you don't realize every instance of me using a different name for the Evil God in the game. But for preservation sake, I don't want to alter the text and leave the article how it was. Anyway, on to the write-up.

One thing I like in my games is when the villain feels appropriately threatening as if you feel there is a chance your party can lose. I'm not just talking mechanically, which is definitely something I also like, but also in the narrative. In pretty much every instance you know you are going to come out on top, with some exceptions, but a good story can get you thinking the enemy may have a chance at winning. A way to do that is to make your enemy actually feel like they are a threat to the party. There are various ways to do this, though Breath of Fire 2, for me, is one of the single greatest examples of this. There is some set up here, so for a moment, it will seem like I am on a different topic entirely but stay with me for a bit. It all ties itself together beautifully.

It starts with your games initial save point at The Dragon God Statue, where it mentions the dying relevance of The Dragon God in society. You also find, when more of the first town opens up as well as others, you can save at The Church of St. Evanaire, one being present in all but a couple towns in the game.

As you search for a way to save Bow, a friend, from false accusations levied against him, you begin discovering some sort of ancient, old god has been corrupting the hearts of people around the world, turning them into demons by making them cave into their strongest selfish desires. It becomes clear that its influence is widespread.

Then comes farm town, the hometown of Rand, his mother is very much against converting to The God of Evari, in favor of worshiping Namanda, god of the Earth, as she has always done. After running an errand at the temple for her, you come back to find a man from the Church with a contract signed by Rands Mother, saying she converted and is giving her farm to the Church to build on. Rand realizes right away something is wrong, and for the first time in the game, we see the church as something other than the good guy.

Up until now, there had been nothing wrong with the church, nothing connecting it to the evil things going on in the world, and only help from its followers. As you help Rand find a way to the Church Headquarters you begin uncovering some rather unnerving things about them and eventually make the connection of the God of these Demon Possessed people and The Church of Deathaven. Once it sinks in that this is the case, there is this moment that you the player, not anyone in the actual party mind you, gets an odd chill. Once that connection is made, you stop and realize just how vast the reach of the church is, and how many people are in support of it.

There is a moment you feel so small compared to the adversary you are fighting against. Hell, I actively avoided the churches as a save point from here on out on my original playthrough, yet nothing in the game tells you, or even hints, that you should do this. (Not that it affects gameplay or story, just something that It caused me to do.)

The game accomplishes this without once telling you how to feel, or even telling you how much influence the church has. It leaves you to make this connection on your own, and once you do the game's antagonists reach an entirely new level of threat. The church's reach has been seen and felt everywhere in very subtle ways, and you realize it's impossible to escape their reach. Very few games manage to so effectively make an antagonist feel so formidable and untouchable, and that is one of the things that makes your final confrontation with your villain so amazing. Without being a credible threat, there is no gravity to the final fight, so you end up not feeling like you really accomplished something. So cheers to you Breath of Fire 2, you are awesome.