- Joined
- Jun 12, 2019
- Messages
- 18
- Reaction score
- 38
- Points
- 13
- Age
- 31
Hello, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read (and that is a big thank you, because this is going to be lengthy). I’m writing this because I see an opportunity in the game’s future that I really don’t want to see squandered. I may already be too late, but I hopefully this doesn’t fall on deaf ears.
I’m hear to talk about origin stories.
This is where things get prolonged, so please bear with me. The hard-working ladies and gents at Hidden Variable have thus far completed eight out of thirteen origin stories (not sure if Fukua will ever be a thing), and I’ve noticed a trend amongst them. Five out of the eight origins tell a story that everyone would already know if they played the console game, or even just YouTube’d it.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the writers bothered to put in the work and add context. Sure, we already knew what happened to Squigly and Parasoul, but now we know even more; and I imagine that will likely be the case with Beowulf and Ms Fortune too.
But there are three origin stories so far that have done something different. They told a completely original story. One of these three is my uncontested favourite. The other two are my least favourite. Let me tell you why…
My least favourite origin, is Cerebella’s. Second last place belongs to Painwheel. This is because their stories felt meaningless and inconsequential. They felt like forgettable filler episodes in a TV series. And the worst part of all, is that they could have dons much more. They could have answered questions that are still with us.
That’s important, because for all I know, these origin stories could be everyone’s last chance to tie up the loose ends in Skullgirls' lore. This was particularly a problem I had with Cerebella’s origin. How was she orphaned? When did she join the circus? How did she become so obsessively loyal to a mob family? I don’t know. All I ever learned from her origin was how she climbed the ladder by a few steps.
By contrast, I love what you did with Filia’s origin story. As an amnesia character, there were lots of questions involving her past. Not only did you answer them, but you made it compelling and unpredictable. It was everything we could have asked for, so kudos on that one!
And now, I’ll get to the point: Please deliver an elucidative origin story for Eliza and Double.
I know that you could argue that the mystery is part of their charm, but there’s just no charm in an origin story that tells us nothing, which is what I’m afraid of here.
I bring those two up, because their mysteries allow your writers to do more with them than arguably any other character. Double is a bit of a head-scratcher. I’ll admit it. But she is a queen of untold origin, and that creates a whole lot of flexibility for whoever gets to fill in the vast gaps. There’s so much potential there!
Even more so for Eliza. In the original game, her story was my favourite, because it added tons to the lore (even if it didn’t dive very deep). I felt more and more intrigued every time Eliza opened her mouth, and I’d love to see the mysteries of her ancient origin explored further. It would be endlessly disappointing if her origin wound up showing us nothing of real value.
Far be it from me to tell you what you should write. That’s not my job, but I do care enough to share my two cents. I’m actually a self-published author, so I’ve got a lot of respect for fiction.
As I’ve mentioned before, this mobile game might be the last chance to wrap up Skullgirl’s fragmentary story. I’m sure that there are certain factors holding you back like a maximum length and whatnot, but I still feel like I’m not asking for much.
I’m just asking for some elbow grease.
I’m hear to talk about origin stories.
This is where things get prolonged, so please bear with me. The hard-working ladies and gents at Hidden Variable have thus far completed eight out of thirteen origin stories (not sure if Fukua will ever be a thing), and I’ve noticed a trend amongst them. Five out of the eight origins tell a story that everyone would already know if they played the console game, or even just YouTube’d it.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the writers bothered to put in the work and add context. Sure, we already knew what happened to Squigly and Parasoul, but now we know even more; and I imagine that will likely be the case with Beowulf and Ms Fortune too.
But there are three origin stories so far that have done something different. They told a completely original story. One of these three is my uncontested favourite. The other two are my least favourite. Let me tell you why…
My least favourite origin, is Cerebella’s. Second last place belongs to Painwheel. This is because their stories felt meaningless and inconsequential. They felt like forgettable filler episodes in a TV series. And the worst part of all, is that they could have dons much more. They could have answered questions that are still with us.
That’s important, because for all I know, these origin stories could be everyone’s last chance to tie up the loose ends in Skullgirls' lore. This was particularly a problem I had with Cerebella’s origin. How was she orphaned? When did she join the circus? How did she become so obsessively loyal to a mob family? I don’t know. All I ever learned from her origin was how she climbed the ladder by a few steps.
By contrast, I love what you did with Filia’s origin story. As an amnesia character, there were lots of questions involving her past. Not only did you answer them, but you made it compelling and unpredictable. It was everything we could have asked for, so kudos on that one!
And now, I’ll get to the point: Please deliver an elucidative origin story for Eliza and Double.
I know that you could argue that the mystery is part of their charm, but there’s just no charm in an origin story that tells us nothing, which is what I’m afraid of here.
I bring those two up, because their mysteries allow your writers to do more with them than arguably any other character. Double is a bit of a head-scratcher. I’ll admit it. But she is a queen of untold origin, and that creates a whole lot of flexibility for whoever gets to fill in the vast gaps. There’s so much potential there!
Even more so for Eliza. In the original game, her story was my favourite, because it added tons to the lore (even if it didn’t dive very deep). I felt more and more intrigued every time Eliza opened her mouth, and I’d love to see the mysteries of her ancient origin explored further. It would be endlessly disappointing if her origin wound up showing us nothing of real value.
Far be it from me to tell you what you should write. That’s not my job, but I do care enough to share my two cents. I’m actually a self-published author, so I’ve got a lot of respect for fiction.
As I’ve mentioned before, this mobile game might be the last chance to wrap up Skullgirl’s fragmentary story. I’m sure that there are certain factors holding you back like a maximum length and whatnot, but I still feel like I’m not asking for much.
I’m just asking for some elbow grease.
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