Chris Moon - Assignment 3

Assignment 3

In Ovid's Metamorphoses the various books and tales are at times bound with forced or even perhaps clumsy transitions, however when one reviews the poems as a whole various themes become apparent. 

Foremost there seems to be a theme of suffering, oftentimes involving situations where the victim isn't necessarily at fault. For suffering in general almost every tale in the Metamorphoses involves someone being killed, tortured, raped, mutated or scorned. Perseus and Phineus is rife with the almost absurd slaughtering of both the guilty and innocent. In Procne and Philomela we see Philomela raped, and then Procne forced to grieve the false death of her sister. Procne then erupts into a rage upon discovering the truth wherein she slaughters her innocent child and feeds him to Tereus who in turn is transformed into a bird. Throughout the poems Jove continues to rape women whilst Juno transforms her now enemies into a variety of creatures. However at times this suffering is completely unwarranted such as in the tale of Actaeon who accidentally stumbled upon Diana only to be eaten by his own hunting dogs or the countless women who were tricked into sexual abuse. 

Another major theme in Metamorphoses is that of trickery. Often times the gods will disguise themselves as either human or even another god in order to either entrap or invoke punishment on someone. When Mercury offers an old man a cow if he is to remain silent regarding the theft of cows, only to turn around whilst disguised and offer the old man a bull and cow if he snitches on Mercury. The old man accepts the new offer and has his heart turned into flint. In The Contest of Arachne and Minerva Minerva disguises herself as an old woman declaring that Arachne should seek forgiveness for attempting to compete with Minerva in a weaving competition, however with Arachne rebukes the old woman's foolishness Minerva reveals herself to be the old woman. 

Ovid also often uses his poems to drastically exaggerate human reaction to various situations, especially those of carnal lust, rage and fear. Emotions are left to run wild and unchecked. Mere infatuation often leads to rape. Frustration or jealousy leads to murder or permanent disfigurement either in the form of transformation or mutilation. Fear leads to drastic measures of escape. Constantly Jove and other male gods, at the mere glimpse of an attractive woman, desire instant gratification through rape. What would normally be a progression of situations that adhere to the moral constructs of society, is left to only non-consensual moments. Likewise frustration or jealousy, which are often expressed in forms of revenge or violence and drawn out to their furthest extent. Juno in reaction to her husband’s deceit turns Io into a cow, who is only freed by the murder of her captor Argus. As mentioned earlier Perseus, after freeing Andromeda, engages Phineus in contest which breaks out into a mass butchering at a wedding party. 

In regards to Schell’s lenses of unification and resonance Ovid seems to paint the same image or express the same cause and effect repeatedly but in different shades. Perhaps instead of Jove we see Echo allow her lust to run amuck, yet both stories end in the attraction being harmed or rendered unobtainable. Instead of a hypocrite being transformed into a beast we witness a liar or boaster metamorphosed. Throughout the poems there is always a sense of looming destruction or mishap just around the corner. No positive is without negative. 

In regards to a viewing a game through Schell’s lenses of unification and resonance I feel that Demon’s Souls is a game that does a phenomenal job of driving home its core competencies of doom, hopelessness and despair. 

In respect to unification, Demon’s Souls truly seeks to reinforce its theme through every means possible. Artistically the game is set in a western style dungeon crawler style. Players must slink through settings such as wet pitch black castle dungeons to boiling and windingly confusing mines. Light is never abundant and much of the levels are shrouded in complete disorienting darkness. The levels are physically designed to demand patience and caution. Staircases are without rails, bridges are often weathered and prone to collapsing and a variety of traps have been laid from hot metal being poured from cauldrons at a smithy to tumbling walls in narrow corridors. Musically the game drones, haunts and swells depending on the scenario. Often the player is met with an eerie silence punctuated by the tinkling of distant metal or the echos of shrieks. Boss battles are often paired with gregorian choirs or drums of war. 

From an enemies standpoint this game is without “trash-mobs,” that is to say every enemy should be approached with the utmost care and rewarded your full attention. Enemies often have their own unique combat tactics and will adapt to the player’s reactions. A single false swipe, false block or miscalculated step spells out to death. Enemies are often much more powerful than the player and every time the player succeeds it is indeed a small victory. Boss mobs take the same theory and only compound it, causing hours to be spent into attempts to defeat them. 

The core game mechanics also reinforce the themes. The only currency in the game are demon’s souls which you only collect by striking down enemies. The armor and weapons found in the game, which itself is a rarity, cannot be sold or traded for souls. Finding a superior item in the game can be a godsend and any health or pickups should be treasured and used only when completely necessary. Death comes with a fierce repercussion. The player can be in either two forms; human or soul. As a human you have the ability to have max life which is a large advantage. However if you die you enter soul form, lose your body and are only allowed half health. And you’re going to die, a lot. If you die the entire level resets and you are sent back to the very beginning. There are no save points outside of clearing an entire level and defeating the final boss. Additionally if you die you lose all your demon’s souls, and have only one chance to find your body. If you die in the pursuit of your corpse your souls are gone, permanently. 

From a multiplayer standpoint a player is able to view the bloodstains of players currently in the same area. Touching a bloodstain provides a glimpse of the other player’s final moments and can aid a player in terms of warning them to approaching perils. 

In terms of resonance Demon’s Souls finds its glory in baptism by fire and the ability to truly master the elements. Initially one would question why anyone would desire to play this game and attempt to overcome its immense difficulty. Demon’s Souls is frustrating, time consuming and yet incredibly addicting. The game is never unfair and there is always a solution, you simply must weigh the situation and learn from your mistakes. The game is essentially training the player in a variety of combat situations. This isn’t a gung-ho hack and slash game, combat tactics must be heavily weighed and thought out, and a player must be willing to accept defeat at the hands of a skilled opponent. 

Demon’s Souls true sticking power is the way in which it embraces death. Death is the core component, and a player’s actions in death and life influence the game. Throughout the game a player can influence the world in either white or black shading. Acting humbly in life, choosing not to steal or murder and rather righteously earn one’s souls causes the soul-world to offer easier opponents, but decreased drop rates. Acting selfishly in life tilts the shading of the soul-world towards black and while rare items and souls have a higher drop rate, black shades, an enemy only present in black shading, are now present which cause almost every combat scenario to become absurdly difficult. Eventually the player gains the ability to enter other player’s games and either assist them in order to regain their body or kill them for their souls. 

Instinctually a new player has been taught through previous gaming experiences that as a game’s hero their power is unmatched which will eventually allow them to defeat the final opponent. Yet in Demon’s Souls you start off as a complete novice, both inside and outside the game. Your player is initially mocked and some NPC’s refuse to even speak with you. However as you progress, and you will only progress through gaining actual skill, you become revered. And although it sounds kitsch Demon’s Souls isn’t about guiding a hero, its about becoming one yourself, ten-thousand deaths be damned.