I’m not quite if I’ve asked this before, but it’s something that just came to my mind. I, for one, appreciate the subtle nods we see in Miyazaki soulslikes. However, it can get quite frustrating to play a game and not know what the hell is going on. So I personally prefer more direct storytelling a la Lies of P or Sekiro.
It’s a delicate balance, though, since too direct storytelling can lead to an overall “dumbed down” story. The layers of meaning can get lost in the “tell, don’t show” approach.
What do you prefer?
I appreciate when the story is there if I wanna look for it, sometimes character centered games burn me out emotionally.
playing a named protagonist is cool though, the connection to the story is deeper, and you actually have to role play, neat stuff. The impact the story leaves is also more long lasting.
I still kinda lean towards minimalistic storytelling, . Major realizations always hit hard, theorizing and going down rabbit holes is fun, etc. Also forces me to pay attention and keeps me engaged on replays, to get a fuller picture. And since I enjoy exploration / discovery and it goes hand in hand with story in soulslikes it elevates both experiences for me.