I do not know a lot about wine, however I certain prefer to faux I do, and I wager I am not alone. Who else right here — of consuming age, that’s — has purchased a crimson wine to accompany dinner, as a result of it “goes effectively with pasta”? What number of instances have you ever been poured a glass of wine to “style” in a flowery restaurant, going by way of the entire rigmarole of smacking your lips collectively and saying “oh sure, beautiful” although it simply tastes like wine? And, be trustworthy now, do you do this factor the place you strive a brand new wine after which attempt to guess the random assortment of fruits on the label to point out off in entrance of your mates? “Oh, sure, plum, see, I did point out stone fruits, did not I, Janice?” Yeah, we’re all the identical, and all of us do not know what we’re speaking about.
However this is one thing I do find out about: Video video games. I have been doing this job for some time now, and I’ve performed fairly a number of of them. I’m no sommelier of digital media, thoughts you, however I am undoubtedly educated sufficient to have the ability to advocate you a hearty, strong RPG or a pleasant indie palate-cleanser, relying in your style. However I wish to suggest a change to the way in which we speak about video games, on the danger that it will make me sound just like the form of particular person that will not shut up about wine.
There are some video video games which are sensible, however even extra so when paired with a e-book, or a film, or a TV present. There are lots of causes: A e-book can inform you extra concerning the historic setting; it may well get you into the temper for the actual style; or it may well make you see the characters or the placement in a brand new mild. The proper e-book can elevate the subject material of a recreation far past the world on-screen, or assist you perceive its topic even higher. And generally, it is simply good to totally immerse your self in a sub-genre that you simply actually take pleasure in.
With that in thoughts, I suggest that we talk about our favorite “wine pairings” of video games and different media. I am going to go first!
Hades + The Iliad / The Music of Achilles
We’ll begin off straightforward. Hades, Supergiant’s sensible narrative roguelite, is closely based mostly on Historical Greek fantasy. No fantasy particularly, in fact, however a beautiful smörgåsbord of bits from in all places.
My instinctive advice can be The Iliad — the colossal struggle epic that describes the top of the Trojan struggle, however principally the anger of Achilles following some prize-related beef together with his commanding officer — however actually, it’s kind of weighty. There are total chapters that simply checklist all of the boats which are current, or lengthy passages describing shields. It is a sensible story, but it surely’s a lot better as one thing to take heed to, relatively than one thing to learn, for my part.
(The truth is, a bunch of Hades followers acquired collectively to learn out The Iliad, with a foreword from Hades scribe Greg Kasavin. What serendipity.)
You may fare higher with a extra trendy, novel-like strategy to the Trojan struggle, which provides you with a higher perception into Hades’ therapy of Achilles and Patroclus, his lover/cousin relying on which students you consider (however the extra fascinating studying is the previous, in fact). Madeline Miller’s The Music of Achilles is the right companion to Hades, as a result of it takes the identical strategy: Star-crossed lovers, torn aside by destiny and fortune. Good luck getting by way of the attractive prose with out sobbing, although.
Life Is Unusual + Twin Peaks
For those who’re within the temper for some unnerving goings-on on the West Coast of america, then you definitely actually cannot go incorrect with this double-feature. Life Is Unusual could not fairly attain Lynchian heights of bizarre, but it surely takes greater than only a mild sprinkling of inspiration from the ’90s TV drama.
Who killed Laura Palmer? What occurred to Rachel Amber? The reply to the latter is a bit more easy than the previous, in fact, however you may need to journey by way of supernatural occasions, prophetic nightmares, and time-hopping manipulation to get there.
Combine with Alan Wake and Silent Hill for an excellent stronger impact.
Heaven’s Vault + Arrival
Alien civilisations and decoding language. Each are distinguished plot threads in each Heaven’s Vault and Arrival, but it surely’s not only a surface-level similarity that they share: Each are additionally about communication, translation, and the way imperfect it may be in making a shared understanding between two factions.
Heaven’s Vault is concentrated on the previous, by way of historical past, archaeology, and anthropology; Arrival is extra centered on the current and the long run by way of actively making an attempt to talk to an alien race. However each are involved with what it means to speak, and why we do it within the first place. They each come collectively in a shared appreciation and understanding of linguistics, and the way it impacts philosophy.
One for language nerds, undoubtedly.
Disco Elysium + Dungeons & Dragons: Participant’s Handbook
Non-fiction and reference books are nonetheless books, and I believe this one is an wonderful pairing. Disco Elysium is an extremely advanced tackle RPGs that borrows closely from the tabletop roleplaying world, most particularly the Planescape setting of Dungeons and Dragons.
Now, I may advocate a ton of books from D&D, however I believe the simplest one to get into and discover might be the Participant’s Handbook, which is able to introduce you to the world, the races, the courses, and the overall vibe of D&D. Understanding a recreation like Dungeons and Dragons — and play it effectively — provides you with a large amount of perception (WIS) into how a recreation like Disco Elysium works.
Pair this one with Citizen Sleeper or Divinity: Authentic Sin 2 should you actually like a TTRPG-style recreation.
The Legend of Zelda + Second Quest
Second Quest is a graphic novel by David Hellman and Tevis Thompson which seeks to discover “what it actually means to have braveness”. It questions journey, legend, and even gaming itself, and you will notice not solely Hyperlink and Zelda in its pages, however your self, too.
The e-book comes from Hellman and Thompson’s dissatisfaction with Zelda within the Wind Waker and Skyward Sword years, throughout which Nintendo veered away from the sense of discovery current within the early years, and in direction of extra conventional, linear video games. Hellman and Thompson as an alternative imagined a world extra like Zelda 1, the place mysteries go unanswered, in a world that has already been saved. It is a mature, considerate and thought-provoking tackle the Zelda mythos that asks the query: What occurs after the credit roll?
Haven + Saga
This one’s straightforward. A pair on the run from forces who need to tear them aside, with themes of queerness, discovered household, freedom, and love within the face of hate. Is that exploration recreation Haven, or is that sci-fi graphic novel Saga? Trick query! It is each!
Haven and Saga is an especially good pairing, virtually too good, like wine and chocolate. It looks like dishonest. It helps that they are each attractive, too.
The Binding of Isaac + Midnight Mass
Not everyone seems to be acquainted with the themes of Catholic guilt and spiritual persecution that Edmund McMillen’s gory dungeon-crawling roguelike The Binding of Isaac attracts from. The very starting of the sport sees the protagonist’s mom receiving a message from God to sacrifice her son as proof of her religion, and the remainder of the sport is all about Isaac making an attempt to flee, confronting demise, start, and different heavily-religious themes based mostly on McMillen’s personal familial expertise.
The plain pairing is The Bible, since, you already know, that is the place all the faith got here from on this occasion, however I reckon that Midnight Mass may get the horror throughout extra effectively. In spite of everything, The Binding of Isaac is not concerning the supply materials, it is concerning the misappropriation of it to commit abuses, and the methods faith will be twisted right into a weapon. Enjoyable!
Metro 2033 + Roadside Picnic
Roadside Picnic is a 1972 Soviet Russian novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky which takes place within the aftermath of an extraterrestrial occasion which left behind a number of “Visitation Zones”, through which unusual and unexplained phenomena happen. Scavengers — often called stalkers — enter these zones to pilfer artifacts for revenue. It’s these stalkers that finally impressed the sport S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R., amongst many different movies, books, and video video games.
Metro 2033 is not based mostly on Roadside Picnic. It is really based mostly on a unique novel by a unique Russian writer, Dmitry Glukhovsky, referred to as Metro 2033 — however since Metro 2033 (the e-book) was additionally influenced by Roadside Picnic, it is clear that they are all in the identical household, at the very least. There’s even a reference to Roadside Picnic in Metro 2033!
For those who’re a fan of post-apocalyptic, melancholic Russian tales which are all about making an attempt to eke out an existence in a nearly-uninhabitable, depressing world plagued with shortage and uncertainty, then, uh, have enjoyable with this pairing!
Ace Legal professional + Higher Name Saul
Let’s have a enjoyable one to spherical this off, lets? Everybody is aware of that Ace Legal professional just isn’t an correct portrayal of the authorized system, and that is a part of the explanation it is so enjoyable. Cross-examining a parrot? Proving that an orca is harmless? Magic being admissible in courtroom? Certain, why not! That is Phoenix Wright’s baffling world, the place your prosecutor is extra more likely to be the true assassin than your pal!
Higher Name Saul, however, offers with the dirty, ineffective nature of the courtroom in a city the place all of the crimes are both white-collar boring ones, or straight-up drug manufacture, smuggling, and cartel murders. You aren’t getting these tales in Ace Legal professional, and likewise, you’d by no means see Saul Goodman or Jimmy McGill making an attempt to accuse a ghost of homicide.
However generally it is enjoyable to see the regulation from a number of angles. Loss of life in Higher Name Saul is a horrific factor that tears aside households; demise in Ace Legal professional would not even cease folks from turning as much as their job the following day, because of the Fey household’s capacity to channel spirits. However the one factor that Jimmy and Phoenix have in frequent is their capacity to show a case round in a cut up second, and it is a thrill to look at them each.
I’ll not know a lot about wine, aside from the truth that it is vitally good to drink a sangria within the solar, however I prefer to assume {that a} good online game/e-book/film/TV pairing is simply as satisfying as a Rioja that goes actually properly with steak. I hope you have discovered some interesting pairings on this menu, too — and I might like to know what your suggestions are within the feedback!
