It is the story of a lighthouse, an animated object that therefore has a soul, and that sets out to attack a mountain, supported by a seabird that rests on its roof. They must shed light on the devastated world around them to bring it back to life. When Tim Schafer, to whom we owe the fantastic dialogues of the first Monkey Islandpresents us with the next game from Double Fine Productions, there is something obviously improbable, but in the end quite common in this Xbox studio like no other.
With Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, Broken Age or even brutal legend, We have become accustomed to finding ourselves faced with arid universes, colorful characters and absurd situations that occur, in perfectly mastered games. Guardianavailable from October 17 on Xbox Series and PC, it is no exception to the rule.
“It’s a story told exclusively through images and sounds,” explains Tim Schafer. “The game doesn’t say anything. It feels.” The frame is fixed, or rather its contours. The setting is necessarily unexpected: a ruined lighthouse awakens after a devastating storm when it is struck by a bird in distress. He is then animated and equipped with legs, like a mechanical spider, that will allow him to move, and with a light whose beam changes the environment and allows him to interact to unlock items.
An emotional experience without dialogue
Beyond their improbable silent duo and their ultra-polished -and ultra-rich background animation- visual beauty, Guardian (guardian in English) is an adventure full of mystery and emotion. There is no need for menus, directions, instructions or dialogues to understand. The game is instinctive and we throw ourselves into it as shaky as this flickering beacon that seems about to break down at any moment. However, no danger is presented to us. The game multiplies mini puzzles to unlock areas and progress. Nothing complicated, clearly that’s not the point.
“Guardianis an atmospheric and light-hearted puzzle adventure. “It’s a strange but relaxing experience,” says Tim Schafer. I might add that it is also disturbing and seductive. Because Guardian It’s one of those games that has something extra. It’s not complicated, you can’t die or fail during the game, but who knows how to take you by the hand and take you who knows where. And we get there without really understanding how or why we do it because everything is so improbable, from the setting to the situation. We move forward without looking back.
The game was born in the mind of Lee Petty, screenwriter and partner of Tim Schafer in Double Fine. “During the pandemic, I walked alone, observing how nature continued to evolve and regenerate, even in our absence,” he says. From this loneliness a question was born: what would life be without us? A philosophical reflection on the connection between living beings and the resilience of nature that entails Guardian through its lighthouse that tries to illuminate the darkness and revive it. A guardian of life and memory, who sometimes plays with time to progress in his search.
Stage the strange to make it seem familiar
There are clearly inspirations from surrealists like Dalí or Max Ernst. Tim Schafer Admits to Some Pretty Unlikely Cross-References Between Animated Movies dark crystal or even Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and those of David Cronenberg. “Lee has a very strong sense of the strange. He wanted a universe that seemed strange and familiar at the same time, a waking dream,” emphasizes the Double Fine boss. We felt it in every shot of the game.
Guardian It is an invitation to travel for the simple pleasure of experiencing and understanding. Light is a language that unlocks situations, dispels darkness and brings life back to nature. We understand the metaphors of the rebirth of this lighthouse, its ability to adapt and its symbiosis with nature, marked by its understanding with Twig, who lends it a hand by unlocking objects and mechanisms, but also its progressive fusion with the flora. The lighthouse walks, jumps, sometimes flies. Everything is strange, unexpected and, ultimately, so familiar and logical. Without a doubt the best definition of this. Guardian that will remain in the mind as an improbable, illogical, incomprehensible game at times, but so comforting in its strangeness.
“At Double Fine, each project has its own tone. Some start from mechanics, others from art. The important thing is that they are done by hand and with the heart,” concludes Tim Schafer. Guardian Don’t try to tell stories, it can be experienced, it can be felt. The lighthouse goes from incomprehension to sadness and curiosity, without words, without sound, but we understand everything. It just goes to show that with simple but beautiful things, you can deliver beautiful emotions in just eight hours of daydreaming, without needing to be a blockbuster telling you what to do.
KEEPER: available on Xbox Series X|S, PC and Game Pass.
Source: BFM TV
