The Most Anticipated VNs of 2018
4) The Pillars of the Earth (Daedalic Entertainment) & Herald (Wispfire)
Yes, this is sort of a cheat; but I’m standing by it.
Episodic gaming has been hit-or-miss in the West. Both a misunderstanding of the formula and a more broad misunderstanding on what makes sequels successful has led to this: even in companies that have built their reputations on episodic gaming. However, as more developers experiment and try to find their flow with this particular narrative tactic, both Daedalic and Wispfire seems to have a solid grasp of it. Both The Pillars of the Earth and Herald have been fantastic: both epic in ambition and intimately human in scope. And, if things stay on schedule, both will see their final chapters released this year.
Both groups should be commended for creating such fantastic games. The themes are actually quite similar as both explores the lives and difficulties of lower classes in a remarkably grounded light. The protagonist trio of the Pillars of the Earth are the underdogs in a setting torn apart by war, poverty and corruption. However, they are also smart, ambitious and are allowed to find ways to win…unlock a certain epic fantasy writer I could talk about. Meanwhile, Devan Rensberg is an adopted son of an imperialistic power treated as secondary at home, but still a foreigner abroad. AND YET, he can position himself to be one of the most important members of the HLV Herald and could be the key to stopping a war. These things came naturally through the story, building up to these final chapters and I am looking forward to seeing how their stories end.
