by Naseem Jamnia | Mar 7, 2022 | Essays, Video Games
I should begin by saying this is not an ode to silent protagonists. If anything, I’d like to argue that for a strong narrative-driven game, a silent protagonist is actually a detriment. How does one hook a story on a main character who has no or limited personality? In this essay, I will… argue that Joker, the silent protagonist in Persona 5/Royal, had no right to be silent.
Spoilers abound for Persona 5 Royal. (more…)
Sidequest’s former managing editor Naseem Jamnia used to do sciencey things, but they now slam their keyboard and call it art. By night, they play a lot of video games. And regardless of the time, they spend way too much of it on Twitter, @jamsternazzy. Also, their debut novella, THE BRUISING OF QILWA, comes out in August 2022!
by Naseem Jamnia | Mar 25, 2019 | Essays, Mobile Games
Welcome back to Mystic Messenger Trash, a game diary in which I chronicle playing Mystic Messenger for the first time. (Did you miss me?) The following contains spoilers of Seven’s route, Good Ending, and After Ending. Although there will be some discussion of Secret Endings 1 and 2 as it relates to Seven’s character—it’s very difficult to talk about Seven’s story without at least some reference to them—there will be a piece covering those endings. Content note for physical and emotional abuse.
Buckle up, because this summary is a long one. Seven’s route begins as he’s trying to balance keeping you, the player, safe from whoever is trying to hack into the RFA. You learn that he is, indeed, a secret agent, and his colleague Vanderwood, acting as his maid, watches over him. (Side note: Up until now and even through Seven’s route, Seven uses female pronouns for Vanderwood, but he’s actually a man. Why… did they misgender him? Is having a male maid so weird? On another note, why is Vanderwood cleaning up after Seven at all??) But Seven can’t focus because he’s never had a crush before, and soon finds himself coming to Rika’s apartment to protect you in person. This pisses off both Vanderwood and their spy agency, causing them to plan their retaliation to get rid of Seven. (more…)
Sidequest’s former managing editor Naseem Jamnia used to do sciencey things, but they now slam their keyboard and call it art. By night, they play a lot of video games. And regardless of the time, they spend way too much of it on Twitter, @jamsternazzy. Also, their debut novella, THE BRUISING OF QILWA, comes out in August 2022!
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