Girl in the Machine
Monday, January 14, 2008
A Kingdom Ruled by Strength

(SMT: Nocturne plot spoilers to follow!)

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is an RPG for the Playstation 2 wherein the world ends as soon as the game begins. The Conception is occurring, a hellish and barren transformation of the world in preparation for the birth of a new one. Demons rule and war in the transforming planet, and merely a handful of humanity's survivors remain. However, there is a catch.

The Reason. The new world can only be fashioned according to the vision, or Reason, of a human subject. In a bid for survival, the humans develop their own Reasons and compete with one another to become the creator of the new world.

Chiaki Hayasaka is one of these combatants. She's a cold, somber high school student raised in the upper crust of society. Following the Conception, she awakens all alone in the demon-occupied cities, and the change is more than jarring. Global apocalypse aside, she is now, as a human, the lowest of the low. Her weakness next to the might of the ruling demons is torturously palpable, and she finds strength only in forming her Reason.

Yosuga: survival of the fittest, elitism, the establishment of rigid castes. Chiaki's solution to her own fears of inherent weakness is to use her Reason to elevate herself above all life and institute a highly-organized class system. Seeking the strength to fully constitute her resolve, Chiaki seeks out the dying Gozu-Tennoh, leader of an enormous demon faction called the Mantra, and becomes imbued with his power. As a human leader possessing such demonic might, the Mantra become quite a threatening force in the race to establish Reason.

Chiaki is a villain that I can really get behind. Gaining Gozu-Tennoh's power grants her the means to be both brutal and utterly ruthless in her quest. She is unusual, commanding, tough, but desperate, and she shows a depth of character not often conferred upon female villains. Though she desires rigid order, her caste system isn't perfect: separating the weak from the strong would only breed paranoia and mistrust. Establishing herself as the leader of these castes would merely have her looking over her shoulder for anyone who would dare supplant her. Her Reason -- and her version of the game's ending -- is symbolic of chaos, which speaks volumes of her character's irony.

So Chiaki's definitely no pushover, and, awesomely, her character design reflects that. Upon receiving Gozu-Tennoh's might, her right arm twists and mutates. She gains an enormous, gnarled, acquiline hand that can crush bones to powder, and puts it to use in one of Nocturne's bloodiest, most tragic scenes. At that moment, it becomes more than clear how she's been transformed not just physically but mentally by the incredible forces around her.

Strong female characters don't have to be model citizens. I adore villains, and it's so good to see a woman among the baddies that can truly and believably pull her own weight. Chiaki's background and motivation is not just a flimsy add-on to a fanservicey character design or cardboard personality. She's the real deal, and I hope that in the future there can be more kick-ass female villains like her.

Labels: , , , ,

 Posted by BomberGirl
 8:26 AM + Link to this post
  1 comments

 
About
Girl in the Machine
BomberGirl
Calabar
PlasmaRit

Latest Entries
Inevitable Femininity
Argh!
First Friday Drinking Game
A Strictly Female Affliction
Happy Holidays!
The Jade Debate
Retro Rail Shootin’ with Resident Evil
Kings and Queens
Women Working in Games
2007 Spike TV Video Game Awards

Tags
Action Adventure
Adventure
Body Language
BomberGirl
Calabar
Castlevania
Character Spotlight
Civilization
Elder Scrolls
Fatal Frame
Final Fantasy
Fighter
First Friday Drinking Game
FPS
Getting it Right
Guitar Hero
Half-Life
Harvest Moon
Indie
The Industry
In the News
Legend of Zelda
LGBT
Linkfest
Mario Bros.
Mass Effect
Metal Gear
Metroid
MMORPG
Motherhood
PlasmaRit
Platforming
Primal
Prince of Persia
Race Issues
RPG
RTS
Rule of Rose
Scale
Sexuality
Shadow Hearts
Shin Megami Tensei
Silent Hill
The Sims
Star Fox
Stealth
Stereotypes
Street Fighter
Super Smash Bros.
Survival Horror
Tomb Raider
Turok
Video Game Movies
Violence
World of Warcraft

Archives
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008

Links
BlogHer
Cerise Magazine
The F-Word Blog
Finally, a Feminism 101 Blog Game Girl Advance
GayGamer.net
Iris Gaming Network
Killer Betties
New Game Plus
Penny Arcade
Racialicious
Shrub.com Blog
Under the Table Gaming
Women Gamers
Zone of the Gamers

Best viewed in Mozilla Firefox at a 1028 by 768 resolution.

Powered by Blogger

blogspot visit counter