Soul Cannon
I’ve been playing Fuga: Melodies of Steel and it’s quite an interesting game.
It is a turn based RPG about children inexplicably gaining access to a giant war tank and going on a journey to try and save their families from an invading army. It’s a very, very specific premise but I think it uses it pretty well.
You progress through each chapter of the story through a linear set of battles which ends with a final boss battle.
One element of the game that I think is very interesting is the “Soul Cannon”. It is an incredibly powerful weapon that can be used instantly win any battle.
The Soul Cannon has one catch: one of the children has to sacrifice themselves in order to power it. Everything about the cannon from the UI asking if you really want to use it to the way that it looks and sounds screams to you that it’s something that you should only use if you are desperate and have no other choice.
It’s not a weapon that only exists for the sake of the story: It’s usable in any boss battle if you lose enough health. Though, using the cannon means living with the consequence of sacrificing someone for it for the rest of the game.
As far as I know, you are only forced to use it once in a tutorial. It sets up a story scenario where you are forced to use it, shows you the consequences, and jumps back in time before you used it. It was a very interesting experience to me because it ushers you to use it without you really knowing what’s going to happen until you see firsthand what it does.
From a design standpoint, this gameplay element is interesting. It ensures that you can’t get stuck dying over and over to a boss because you technically have a way to win instantly. I suspect that this means that they make boss fights much harder to make you REALLY doubt if winning is possible.
The mere existence of the Soul Cannon changes how I think and approach the game. This game is about the characters and how they interact in the story, so I want to try my hardest to never have to use the Soul Cannon.
I am much more patient when dying over and over again to a boss because I am determined to never have to use the Soul Cannon.
I’m always trying to prepare for fights as best as I can so that I can give myself the best chance of winning. You can’t make multiple save files and go back if you get stuck, so every choice that you make matters.
I dread the possibility that I will be forced to fight an enemy that I just can’t beat.