Quantic Dream’s Cage: Interactive storytelling is the new videogame narration

Cutscenes in games may soon be a thing of the past as Quantic Dreams aim to redefine video game storytelling with Heavy Rain. It’s not gonna be just about overcoming a series of obstacles, it’s gonna be a journey, and one that you take along with the game’s characters. David Cage expounds more on this at the full article.

Interactive storytelling is the new narrative format, or so Quantic Dream, spearheaded by president and CEO David Cage, would like to believe. Facing American journalists in Paris, Cage stated their vision for the future of “interactive entertainment”.

“We want to create experiences that engage the player emotionally and we want to explore the potential of interactive storytelling,” he said. If all goes according to plan, then they just might be able to succeed with this mission in their highly anticipated PS3-exclusive, Heavy Rain.

Having the players themselves immersed in the plight of the character would prove pivotal to the enjoyment of the game as the players are obviously more involved. As such,

It’s much more a journey than a series of obstacles. It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride that should give players pleasure through a deep range of emotions. Depth and meaning is important for us. We want players to have an interest in the characters and care about the characters. We try to tell a story that means something and makes you think a little bit. It’s not about a battle between good and evil but something that makes you think as a human being.

The film noir Heavy Rain‘s plot is still being kept secret up to now primarily because the story takes on a choose-your-own-adventure kind of format. Thereby whatever decision the player makes directly affects the outcome of the story, so it’s very player-dependent.

As for the narration, he divulged that there will still be cutscenes, but these, however, will be limited only for “really key moments when there’s nothing to play”.

He furthers, “Each scene must offer something strong that matters in narrative and gameplay. You can’t just have a fantastic story but nothing to play or vice versa. It’s a challenge to find both an interactive and storytelling component in every scene.”

We shall soon see if they did achieve that balance once Heavy Rain comes out on a yet unspecified date in 2009.

Via Game Daily