Do Details Really Matter? Part 1: Video Games
The short answer is yes, but the question is WHY do details matter? Well, when you buy stuff, do you ever look at what you buy? I’m talking REALLY look at it. This is especially true with art, such as paintings or photos. When you go to a museum, I think most people’s action is to look at the paintings, maybe even take a picture if allow. But I think a majority of the time, they don’t analyze what they’re looking at. It’s not just art pieces such as paintings, but it applies to photographs, video games and even clothing as well honestly. This is especially true when it comes to woodwork as well.
I’m a real big fan of details and specifics, because there’s a lot of processes that are done in order to make something. I recently learned there’s a whole lot more to do in order to get a really good picture, and even terms I never knew the name for. This is especially true for photography and really just everything. I’m not gonna sit here and pretend I’m a perfect and true observer of the finer things in life, I know I overlook a lot of details. This is especially true with art, because I’m also the type of person who doesn’t analyze much of what they’re looking at a lot of the time. I think society over the years has really screwed me up, but anyways, when it comes to anything that’s made in the name of art, there’s a lot of little minute details that we as observers might not notice. I think a real good example to include are video games! If there’s a well-established series that’s been spanning for years now, recent games will call back previous entries or pay homage in different ways. Recently I’ve been playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom again, and there’s a boss you fight when you reach the temple high above Rito Village. Once you get through the temple you fight Colgera. This asshole has frozen over the entire Rito village and you’ve gotta stop him. It’s such a cool fight because you’re flying through the air while this giant worm tries to kill you. You have to break the shells over his body to damage him, and you can even dive through his shell and it’s INCREDIBLE! Once you damage him enough time his theme changes pace and more intense. I’ll include a video of the theme with different phases because it’s such a banger of a track and one of the best themes in this game.
See, the cool thing about the instruments being played during the theme, but mainly through the third act, is that it pays homage to the Rito tribes' theme, especially in Wind Waker when you reach Dragon Roost Island.
I highly encourage to listen to both themes. You can hear "themes" in both videos (Plus the tracks are bangers. They're all bangers.)
For Colgeras theme, listen to the part that starts at 2:55, then listen to the Dragon Roost Island theme that starts at around 1:01. They share the same THEME (I really don’t know the specific wording when it comes musical terms so my bad) because Tear’s of the Kingdom is throwing a cool call back to Dragon Roost Islands theme since they both involve the Rito tribe. If you haven’t played Wind Waker, you wouldn’t have noticed (honestly, I didn’t at first) but when I read about it, I was so stoked. Colgeras theme is so gorgeous and so incredible, you really feel like you’re fighting for the Rito’s’ lives, making you feel like you NEED to strike down this giant flying worm. And I get chills every time it hits that part in Colgeras theme, I get so damn PUMPED! Gets me so driven to do better. There’s also a small easter egg, kinda multiple actually. When you’re making food, and you throw the ingredients into the pot, Link starts humming songs from past Zelda games. He’ll hum Epona’s theme, The Lost Woods theme and a couple of others as well! That’s such a small detail you actually wouldn’t really pay attention too, especially with the clinking and clanking when the food is being cooked, but when you do you get so excited because who would’ve thought to notice that??? IT’S SO COOL! I’ll include the video as well!
SO COOL!
I’m a real big Legend of Zelda fan, but I’ll talk about that another time.
Another example: A month or so ago I had finally gotten my Blasphemous 2 collector’s edition. It’s this cool box that opens almost like a briefcase in a way that the box is connected, like a suite case with its hinges. Usually with the collectors edition you have to pop open the top of the box and open the lid or you have to slide out the box etc. But this one is fancy because it’s just connected and it’s really cool and so much better. My description sucks but regardless, I’ll include a pic.
So this includes: The collectors’ box itself, a steelbook game case. the video game itself with it’s own regular box, an actual instruction manual (one of the best things because games rarely come with the little instruction manuals anymore), the original soundtrack that includes a download code AND 2 PHYSICAL CD’S WHICH IS AMAZING (along with a collector’s CD cover), a game guide that shows you where items are in the game and is also a walkthrough, a lil commemorative coin, an art card set (amazing), a god damn certificate of authenticity, an album of illustrations, and lost but not least a physical thank you letter from the developers in a slick and nice red envelope with a seal on it (sensational). You might be wondering why it’s great to have a game guide and manual included in this. Nowadays, guides and manuals are online, so developers have settled to just get rid of them. They sued to be in every game box or case. I have my original GameCube cases, and they would have manuals including the story of the game, how to use the buttons and even a little notes section where you could leave little notes for yourself if you really wanted! Things like that haven been phased out, so whenever a manual is included it’s just a nice touch. With guides, you can easily watch a walkthrough on YouTube or look up an article about the game, but physical guides would have different illustrations that probably wouldn’t really pop up anywhere, more little notes that probably aren’t mentioned in YouTube walkthrough or in an IGN article. I know for this Blasphemous 2 guide, it has really cool art that hasn’t popped up anywhere ASIDE from the guide, and the box art too! Speaking of the box art, it’s actually different than the retail one!
The left box art is the standard retail version of the game, whether you get it digitally or physically. The right, even though the picture is just of the actual box, it’s still the same as the game case it comes packaged with. It’s shown above as well in my picture, but here’s a more straight forward comparison. The game cartridges for both are different too! It isn’t a whole design change or anything, some small designs, BUT THAT’S SO COOL THAT THEY DECIDED TO ACTUALLY DO THAT!
So you may be wondering why I semi gushed about details, when it comes to video games at least. When it comes down to it, details are important, and some of the details are so handcrafted by the creators with some love that you can really feel it and appreciate the time and effort they took into actually putting the effort, an effort that feels lost nowadays when it comes to big developers or the arts in general. It’s details that show a true love for what’s being created and what’s being crafted, because you wouldn’t really put a whole lot of effort into something you didn’t love. To show genuine care and consideration for their own product that they know others will appreciate as well. It’s honestly why I personally love collector’s editions, because there’s always something in there for the fans and for the people who 1) Really like to collect stuff from their favorite games and 2) For the people who appreciate what has been crafted. Sure, I lose more shelf space every time, but it’s always worth it. With that being said, I’ll write about details again another time. Until then…
Later~
