Hello Stopgame! You know, one of my favorite devices in fiction is the concept of anachronism. If anyone doesn’t know, then, simply put, anachronism is the transfer of a phenomenon from a late time to an early one. Quite often this technique is used when describing, for example, alternative histories or universes, this technique is especially appropriate in stories about war, when, say, for example, instead of the USSR, Nazi Germany won the Great Patriotic War, as was shown in Wolfenstein: The New Order.
Or in stories in which technologies are not developed according to the realities of our world. As you might guess, anachronism fits quite well into the field of video games, and in this blog, I would like to look at several successful examples of the use of anachronism in video games. Let’s go!
Naturally, after such an introduction, many probably came to mind Bioshock Infinite. Of course, it is appropriate within the framework of anachronism not to limit ourselves to only the last part of the trilogy, however, it is in Infinite that anachronism is elevated to the absolute, here everything is “tied” to it, so to speak. Despite how long ago the game was released, I’ll still try to avoid spoilers. As you know, in the comments there will always be people who “wanted to start passing just the other day, but I, such a bastard, ruined everything for them!». I will highlight just a few small points related to the topic of this blog. Beyond the technology that is unimaginable for the game’s time-based setting, which allows Columbia to literally float in the air on par with the city’s hook-and-rail system of movement, the anachronism is brilliantly expressed in the game through the soundtrack.
Literally at the very nokyccasinos.org.uk/ beginning of the game you can find a quartet of hairdressers performing the Beach Boys song “God Only Knows”. For those who are not familiar with the work and history of the Beach Boys, it is worth clarifying that the song God Only Knows was written in 1966, while the game takes place in 1912.
Thanks to such an unusual phenomenon found in gaming Columbia, many unreleased songs can be heard throughout the entire playthrough of the game. This adds charm to an already wonderful and atmospheric game. They worked on the music in Bioshock Scott Bradley and the boys from Postmodern Jukebox, who post their work on Youtube almost every week. So, if the music of Bioshock Infinite has enchanted your ears, you can go to their YouTube channel and get high from their creativity. And no, this is not hidden advertising.
The next example of anachronism in video games can rightfully be considered Fallout 3. There are things like a retro-futuristic style, aspects of the setting from the distant past, combined with advanced technology and post-apocalyptic tones. Amazing cross between time and space, don’t find it!
Personally, I was very pleased with the juxtaposition of the retro style of the 50s of the last century with the nuclear technologies of the future. All this creates an attractive and nostalgic setting that sends players into a time progression, but at the same time there is just a real disaster going on around them – it stands out and grabs attention so much that the player awakens the desire to explore the world and lore of the game.
Here’s another game, or rather a series of games, in which I would like to see more anachronism – Assassin’s Creed. I think this would be a good way to use the power of the Animus and shake up the series a little. It could also allow Ubisoft to set the action in a time where combat wasn’t exactly the most fun to begin with, and then add futuristic technology for a new gaming experience in the series. Alternate history or combining two different eras together could be quite an interesting step. When there was a small hint of this possibility in the Unity trailers, I was intrigued! Then it turned out that there was no trace of any alternative history. In the game this was presented as a glitch in the Animus, when the action of the game threw us into wartime Paris.
Not quite what I was hoping for, but still good. There would be more such experiments in the series.
Other examples of the use of anachronism in games include the already mentioned Wolfenstein, Civilization, Call of Duty (in particular the Black Ops series), and even The Legend of Zelda in which you can find and use several gadgets related to modern technologies, but which are used in a setting of quite ancient times. All this allows you to expand gameplay possibilities and create an unforgettable atmosphere. Well, or as some like to say, COMPLETELY NEW EXPIRIENCE!
Let me take my leave with this. It turned out to be a small blog, but, in my opinion, on a rather interesting topic. In general, the use of such examples, as an anachronism, always dilutes the already rather boring routine in games, which is repeated from project to project and diversifies long-worn themes such as war or post-apocalypse. I can only hope that over time there will be more things like this in games. Thanks everyone, everyone is free!