Unreliable Narrator r
Exploring stories in games and the art of telling tales
Sam Barlow recalls the Example Walkthrough
There is an uncelebrated literary form that lurks in the genesis of many of your favourite things. Unlike valued blueprint texts such as the screenplay or the libretto, this form is rarely glimpsed in public, instead discarded with the other debris left behind in the creation of a videogame. I’m speaking of the ‘Example Walkthrough’. Less fashionable now, this was once the bedrock of publisher pitches, selling the dream in the absence of anything playable. In celebration of this form, here is an example walkthrough for Charles Dickens’ PS4 classic Great Expectations.
The player has completed the tutorial and taken Pip across the marsh to the churchyard. In the corner of the screen a mission objective reads: “Visit Parents’ Grave.” They push up on the left stick to creep towards the low wall that surrounds the churchyard. As they near it, Pip’s hand reaches out, indicating the wall is navigable. The player taps X and Pip hops over the wall, the camera hugging close. He lands in a patch of nettles, their stalks deforming under his feet. The Vigor Meter flashes red, depleting from the nettle sting damage. The player hits the Down button to eat an apple and restore strength. Pip tosses the core to the ground and it rolls under physics into a puddle, spawning ripples. The camera turns in the direction of the church as Pip narrates, “I never knew my parents…”
The player pushes onwards into the graves, holding Square to break into a jog, as Pip continues. “They lie buried here with my five brothers, all of whom gave up trying to get a living early in that universal struggle.” The player taps X to vault a gravestone. They spin the camera with the right stick, looking for the plot which matches Pip’s description. Sunlight peeks through the clouds and strikes one patch, drawing the player’s eye. They push the left stick to walk there. A contextual prompt appears: “Clear overgrowth.” The player hits Square. Pip drops to his knees and holds out his hands. The player shakes the DualShock and Pip scrapes his hands across the stone, removing moss. Inscriptions are revealed. He reads aloud, “Philip Pirip, late of this parish,” voice faltering, “also Georgiana his wife. Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias and Roger, infant children of the aforesaid.” As Pip reads the names, the camera takes in the small row of stone lozenges at his feet. The mission HUD updates, placing a checkmark next to “Visit Parents’ Grave.”
Pip starts to cry. The wind flutters the vegetation and Pip’s hair in a realistic manner. Suddenly, in the rear of the surround mix, a gravelly voice shouts, “Hold your noise!” The camera swings to reveal a man looming over Pip! Wet and muddied with broken shoes and a rag tied around his head. “Keep still or I’ll cut your throat!” he roars. He grabs Pip and leers, showing off realistic stubble on his face and flecks of spittle on his lips.
“Don’t cut my throat, sir,” pleads Pip. “Your name?” growls the man. “Give it mouth!” A radial dialogue menu appears with three options for levels of politeness. The player taps the right stick to select Polite. Pip lowers his eyes, sobs: “Pip, sir.” “Pip, eh? Give me something to eat!” the man barks. The player clicks the touchpad to open the barter window. They select a hunk of bread with the directional buttons and confirm with X. Pip’s hand emerges from his pocket and holds out the food. The man swipes it and eats hungrily.
“Where d’you live, boy?” he asks. “With my sister, sir, Mrs Joe Gargery, wife of Joe Gargery, the blacksmith.” “Blacksmith, eh?” he says. Looks down at his leg. “Now listen carefully,” he growls, “your life depends on it.” Pip nods. “You bring me a file. And some wittles. Or I’ll have your heart and liver out.” A new mission objective pops up, “Return home”, under it two sub-objectives: “Get Wittles” and “Get File”.
The camera returns to its gameplay position over Pip’s shoulder. The man retreats to the church where he leans against a shadowy wall in an idle animation. A message appears in the corner of the screen: “New Log: The Man in the Churchyard.” Ping! “Trophy Earned! Down Among the Dead.”
Swinging the camera around with the right stick, the player sees that the route back along the river is now illuminated by fishermen’s beacons. They push the left stick to make for home, but notice a glint from a hollow tree trunk. They approach and press Square to collect a ‘halfpenny’. Ding! “1/25 Churchyard Treasures.” They continue along the river. As they pass the ambient cows, the creatures look up and moo, and the player marvels at the realistic way their muscles deform as they graze. Next up: combat and crafting.
Less fashionable now, the ‘Example Walkthrough’ was once the bedrock of publisher pitches, selling the dream
Sam Barlow is the founder of NYC-based Half Mermaid Productions. He can be found on Twitter at @mrsambarlow