♪ (video game music) ♪
♪ (theme music) ♪
The hero of the 2011 pixelated adventure game Sword & Sworcery
is a brave adventurer known only as the Scythian
and the game tells the story of her quest
to collect the three pieces of the golden trigon.
Now, if a quest to collect pieces of a magical triangular artifact sounds familiar
that's no accident.
Sword & Sworcery’s trigon is a clear reference to the Triforce
of the Legend of Zelda games
and Link’s recurring quest to collect pieces of the triforce
is perhaps the most famous heroic quest in the history of fantasy adventure games.
By drawing on familiar gaming icons and conventions
that many of us already associate with legendary quests and timeless adventures
Sword & Sworcery quietly asserts that
women can fill the role of the mythic hero as effectively as men can.
♪ (video game music) ♪
With the aid of a gorgeous and mesmerizing soundtrack
Sword & Sworcery's retro-inspired visuals paint a pleasantly abstract landscape
players can navigate through the simple act of tapping or clicking.
And the game tells a traditional yet emotionally resonant story
proving that you don't need technically impressive graphics
to create a world worth exploring and a tale worth telling.
In fact, the level of detail is so low on our pixelated protagonist
and our tendency to assume that heroes are male by default
is so widely reinforced, that some players have made the mistake
of assuming the Scythian is male, at least initially.
Thankfully, the game doesn't resort to clear gendered signifiers
like a pink outfit or a pretty bow in her hair
nor does it present her gender as some kind of surprise twist
like we see in the original Metroid.
In both visual design and writing
Sword & Sworcery is subtle about asserting the Scythian's gender
though once you acquire the Megatome at the end of the game's first episode
you’re presented with the thoughts of other characters
who refer to the Scythian using female pronouns.
It's not just in the visual sense that the Scythian lacks clear definition.
We know very little about her history
and nothing about why she has undertaken the quest to defeat an ancient evil.
While games often give us images of heroes who are fated to defeat evil forces
it's rare for these heroes of myth to be women.
Like many video game heroes
the Scythian is essentially a silent protagonist
a figure defined primarily by her actions
which makes her a blank slate for all players to project themselves onto.
But while we don't actually hear her speak to other characters
a bit of the Scythian's personality does come through
as her thoughts serve as a kind of narration for the story.
Her quest is referred to as a “woeful errand” from very early on
an important bit of foreshadowing
that communicates that her task is not a happy one
but the grim nature of her errand doesn't overshadow the Scythian's spirit
or the tone of the game itself.
The character’s quirky, often humorous thoughts
along with the sense of wonder in the world
make this journey magical, delightful and melancholy all at once.
(water splashing)
Sword & Sworcery is broken up into a series of short sessions
most of which focus on the Scythian acquiring pieces of the Trigon.
(weapons clashing)
There are some simple timing-based combat encounters
but the majority of time is spent exploring the world
and solving simple puzzles that require players to pay attention
to environmental details like trees, birds and reflections in the surface of a pond.
The game is primarily concerned not with combat and killing
but with the natural beauty of the world the Scythian is trying to protect.
Using the mysterious power of the Song of Sworcery,
players sometimes manipulate the environment in some really surprising ways
creating the feeling that this is a magical world
where just about anything can happen.
Ok, at this point, if you haven’t finished the game yet,
you should go do that right now…
even if getting to the end involves a whole real-time moon cycle mechanic
that might take you a couple of months to complete...
unless of course you reset the clock on your gaming device...
or if you are able to find the special moon grotto location---
♪ (mysterious music) ♪
spoiler alert -- we’re about to talk about how the story ends.
So, you've been warned.
Most video game heroes become more powerful as their quest progresses.
This is one way in which Sword & Sworcery subverts expected gaming tropes.
There's nothing in it for the Scythian.
She doesn't gain more health or better gear over the course of the game.
In fact, the quest takes a toll on her;
she starts the game with five units of health
but loses one each time she wins a boss fight
decreasing her overall maximum health as her adventure progresses.
(coughing and choking sound effect)
This game is not about leveling up or becoming more powerful.
And Sword & Sworcery ends with the Scythian
doing something Link never has.
(quiet rumbling sound)
To rid the world of an ancient evil, the brave hero sacrifices herself.
(loud rumbling sound)
Unlike the deaths of so many female characters in games
which serve the purpose of fueling the development of male characters
the Scythian's death is tragic because her life had intrinsic value.
We projected ourselves onto her and experienced the world through her.
♪ (upbeat music) ♪
In the game's final moments
we see the people of the region pay their respects to the Scythian
and we mourn her death along with them.
She didn't just exist in relation to another character—
she wasn't just somebody's wife or sister or daughter--
but rather, she existed as an individual, and as a hero.
The game's ending
suggests that the Scythian will not be forgotten by the other characters
and the visuals and music work together to elicit a complex assortment of emotions
a sense of celebration of the Scythian's courage
and a sense of grief at her death.
♪ (upbeat music) ♪
While the necessity of the Scythian's sacrifice
is worked into Sword & Sworcery's story from the beginning
and lends this particular game an emotional weight its quest might otherwise lack
we certainly don't want all female heroes to be tragic ones.
But we do need more women-centric stories of all kinds.
When archetypal fantasy heroes in games are overwhelmingly portrayed as men
it reinforces the idea that men's experiences are universal
and that women's experiences are gendered
that women should be able to empathize with male characters
but that men needn't be able to identify with women’s stories.
Sword & Sworcery gives us a female protagonist
and encourages us to see her as a hero first and foremost,
one who also just happens to be a woman.
♪ (end theme music) ♪