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Talha Danish 501029828

Professor Alexander

RTA 928

October 2023

Elysium: A Tale of Redemption and Sacrifice

Introduction

Video games are a medium in which storytelling and narrative are crucial in engaging

players across several genres. A well-crafted narrative framework may elevate a game from a

basic collection of ideas to a captivating and engaging experience. "Elysium" is a video game

about redemption, sacrifice, and the ability of the human spirit to change. In this article, we will

look at the narrative style of "Elysium," which is inspired by "The Hero's Journey" but also

combines an interactive storytelling technique to provide players with a unique and emotionally

engaging experience.

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Main Body

Elysium is about a troubled individual, Alex, who is struggling with a dark past and an

unmeasurable amount of rage whose life comes to a crumble, when a compelling force of spirit

persuades him to embark on a maleficent quest. The Hero’s Journey is a narrative style that

would fit with this story as “… the Hero’s Journey, tells the story of a person encountering a

significant life problem and their “adventure” resolving it” (Williams 2). At the beginning of the
story, you will be introduced to his mentors, who act as the souls of his parents. Instantly, players

will get the sense of a character who holds the urge and willpower to achieve his goal. As he

embarks on his hunt, Alex will be required to learn polar-opposite skills and engage in previously

avoided behaviours to accomplish tasks that he had the confidence to push through. According to

Williams, this is what the hero from The Hero’s Journey narrative style is required to do to

accomplish the hero’s goal.

Champagnat states that The Hero’s Journey can be structured into three different parts,

the departure, initiation, and return. I will explain how this is incorporated into Elysium starting

from the departure. The departure is the beginning of the hero’s story where “The Hero feels the

Call to adventure, an event (or series of events) that pushes him to leave the comfort of his world

for the more marvellous world of adventure” (Champagnat et al. 7). During the departure the

hero will also be introduced to a supernatural aid as a mentor. In the case of Elysium, Alex will

meet two mentors who are spirits from his very own family. They will come to aid with the task

of eradicating Vordok, the murderer of his parents who are the link to him and the supernatural

afterworld. With the help of his soul mentors, he will cross the threshold of his world to the

supernatural world(Elysium) and start his journey of redemption. The next part of The Hero’s

Journey is the initiation. When this stage starts “Our Hero from now on completely entered the

adventure”

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(Champagnat et al. 7). In this stage, Alex will have to complete a road of quests that will test his

strength, courage, and skills. Once Alex is ready and all other mandatory quests are complete, he

will face his final quest which will accomplish his main goal. He will complete this task to

avenge his parents, which is his reward for taking on this journey. After this final quest, Alex
will also realise that he is the true ruler of that supernatural world and will be a completely

different character than the character we saw him as at the beginning of this story. The last part

of The Hero’s Journey is the return. “The Return makes echo at the Departure and closes the

narrative” (Champagne et al. 8). Upon completing his arduous journey, Alex returns to his

world, forever changed by his experiences in Elysium. His actions have a profound impact on

both realms, demonstrating the interconnectedness of his journey. While his redemption remains

a personal triumph, the consequences of his choices ripple through the game's narrative. The

Hero's Journey narrative style offers me an appropriate foundation for telling the scenario I

envisioned. Its fundamental structure matches effortlessly with the stages of my tale, providing a

solid framework for storytelling. This strategy has enabled me to produce new ideas that would

otherwise have gone unnoticed, simplifying and improving the process of creating "Elysium" to

make it a more fun endeavour.

Alongside The Hero’s Journey narrative style, Elysium will also include an interactive string of

pearls storyline. We may add interactive elements to various areas of the game by utilising The

Hero's Journey as a guide. However, finding the correct balance between making the game

interactive and delivering the tale is critical. If we make it overly interactive, the tale may not

seem as significant. However, if there isn't enough interactivity, it may not add much to the

overall plot. e. Ip states that “Narrative, by its very nature, is passive and prescriptive, while

interactivity, is not. Mixing the two leads to a balancing act that Costikyan (2000, pp. 44-53) and

Glassner (2004,17-19) aptly describe as being between control and conflict—that is, the degree

of control over the story given to the audience (or player), which can stimulate an interesting,

compelling, or dramatic storyline” (Ip 3).

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Interactivity within Daemon will mostly affect the different story events in the String of Pearls

storyline in the game. These story events can be as huge as the deaths of side characters or as

small as gaining some currency, depending on the scenario and what choices the player makes. It

is important to decide what punishment the player should face for making the wrong choice.

According to Champagnat, these sanctions might disrupt the game's narrative flow. Making

players perform the same tasks over and over again may get tedious, and if the consequences of

mistakes are too severe, the game may become less enjoyable. To circumvent these issues, the

interactive elements of "Elysium" will only influence how the story progresses, not how the

game is designed or how it finishes. This implies that players will not have to repeat the same

dull activities or face harsh penalties for their failures, making the game more entertaining

overall.

Conclusion

"Elysium" is a video game that weaves a strong tale through "The Hero's Journey" while

giving players the ability to design their own unique experiences through interactive

storytelling. Alex's search for redemption, set against the mysterious realm of Elysium, provides

gamers with an emotionally intense and unique gaming experience. "Elysium" presents a

captivating and engaging journey of self-discovery and sacrifice by blending a well-structured

narrative with interactive components.

“…In the ethereal realm of Elysium, a place hidden within the dreams of mortals, chaos
reigns supreme. Unthinkable creatures of darkness run rampant, causing suffering and
despair among the inhabitants of this dreamlike world. In their desperation, the beleaguered
denizens turn to an unsuspecting hero - a vengeful teenager named Alex. Little does he know
that his destiny is intertwined with the fate of Elysium itself.
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 References

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and Initial Findings.” Games and Culture, vol. 6, no. 2, Mar. 2011, pp. 103–134,

doi:10.1177/1555412010364982.

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Narrative Models: Expanding the Design Space of Narrative Structures for Interactive

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(Vol. 11318, pp. 107–120). Springer International Publishing.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_8

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https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ChrisStone/20190107/333798/The_evolution_of_vide

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