Pyre: You Say You Want A Revolution


Pyre:

If an ending is great it is preferable to hint at, but not spoil, the ending. If the plot is terrible, there is no excuse to hide its failings, no qualms in revealing everything. Overall Pyre resides in the first category, but tiny bits of it exist in the second.

The action of Pyre occurs in the Commonwealth, a Theocratic state founded by the virtuous Scribes, but corrupted by the passing of time. The Commonwealth sends it convicts down a magical river which deposits them in the Downlands. The only escape from this discomforting land is another magical river which lifts a single passenger skyward back to the Commonwealth. This transpiration can only be accessed by the anointed winner of the Liberation Rite, which occur infrequently, maybe only once a year. Anointed who return are forgiven for past criminal activity and honored for their valor in winning the Rites. The broad outlines are reminiscent of the Hunger Games, but the Rites are conducted without violence.
The denizens who discover the protagonist mention that they have been hired by a secret benefactor. This person is later revealed to be Volfred Sandalwood, a mysterious Sap (a tree like person). Before the first Liberation Rite he reveals his goal. Long in the planning, he intends to convene a company with a single goal, to overthrow the Commonwealth.

The initial question to his goal is, does the player wish to overthrow the Commonwealth? This unseen nation seems nebulously unjust. The Commonwealth's most serious crime is its ban on literacy, except for the elite. Otherwise the protagonist only has incidental evidence of its unfairness. Every companion has been unjustly sentenced, but they are only a small proportion of the population. It is difficult to know if these miscarriages of justice are common, or rare. Nearly all the leaders of the other factions deserve their punishment. It's possible the members of the Nightwings are the only innocent victims. Nor does Pyre offer any information about the total population of the Commonwealth and the number of citizens deposited in the Downlands. For these reasons it is impossible to know if the majority of its citizens are treated fairly, whether it persecute its minorities, encourages economic inequality, or conducts endless war against innocents. Perhaps it is a society built on equality, seeking peace and freedom, with the occasional misjudgments common among all nations. If one is truly to overthrow a state, one must consider the damage done, the chaos and suffering inflicted by the action. Is it less than allowing the Commonwealth to continue? With such scant detail how can one make such a choice? Pyre glosses over this ethical conundrum, which is surprising, because the writers delve into subtleties repeatedly.

Yet, Volfred's plan drives the plot, so one must support it. Unfortunately any clarity which could have been imparted by composing a sympathetic character is squandered. Sandalwood is repeatedly Delphic, inscrutable, and potentially dangerous. While the protagonist knows no one, Volfred already knows most of the Nightwings and seems to be withholding information from the Protagonist. The writing leads one to believe the crew members are conspiring with Sandalwood to hide something big from the player. With the lack of details about the Commonwealth, is it possible that Sandalwood is misguided, wrong, or even evil?
Volfred leads the caravan to the first Liberation Rite. After the first cycle, during which the Nightwings play a Rite against every other faction, the player can pick their opponents. Defeating teams lowers them in the standings, and the highest ranked team (aside from the Nightwings), participates in the Liberation Rite against the player. But what do I care who I compete against at the Liberation Rite? I intend to beat them all. Not because of Volfred's vendetta, but because freeing my friends is paramount.

None of the other factions deserve victory. While each represents one of the scribes, they have abandoned the virtue embodied by their forebears. The current leaders of each team have corrupted their ideals. The essence, the intent, of the founding wisdom has decayed. Ironically, the essence of each Scribe reaches its pinnacle in each of the members of the Nightwings. Though I intended to win every Liberation Rite, I let Fate, because I believed their leader, an older sentient dog like creature call a Cur, was the only one worthy of returning in glory to the Commonwealth. But though he was anointed he pushed he foster son into the Shimmer-pool (the source of the magical river which returns the anointed winner of the Liberation Rite to the Commonwealth). This was doubly disappointing, because his son (a whiner) felt miserable in the Commonwealth without his father, and because the father retired from the game.

But this raised an important question. Not twenty minutes later, Volfred explained a past situation, that if anyone but the anointed winner goes into the pool they will die. Similar discrepancies occur occasionally. One team cheats against the Nightwings, and suffers no punishment. These flaws lead one to doubt the reliability of the entire system.
Like is the Voice, the arbiter (or play-by-play guy) of the Rites, a liar? He claims that Sandalwood is a traitor, and condemns the player for aiding the Plan. But, the player can't interfere with Volfred's ploy. Pyre railroads the player into participating in Volfred's scheme. The only way for the player to sabotage Volfred would be to lose every Liberation Rite. But I couldn't do that, because as previously stated, I am fighting for my friends' freedom. In contrast to the setting, the Characters are so vibrant, so lovely, so deserving of loyalty and love, and so willing to return it, that I couldn't abandon them to the Downlands.

So Pyre, through the Voice, accuses the player of an action over which it offers the player no control. Nor will the Voice clearly detail Volfred's crimes. Is it referring only to his initial conviction or something worse that occurred during his time as a player on an earlier Nightwing squad? Even after finishing Pyre I am uncertain about Sandalwood's supposed treachery. In the end, despite my distrust, despite my paranoia, despite my expectation for a twist, it appears Volfred is a true hero. Willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the goodness of others.
The ending arrives abruptly. Only seconds after the final Liberation Rite, Pyre brings the player to the final screen. Displayed there are all the characters of Pyre. Clicking on each displays a personalized epilogue. This part is excellent, incredibly detailed and dependent on one's choices (mostly who won the Liberation Rites). They interact wonderfully, with pairings between friends and foes who remain together (either in the Downlands or the Commonwealth) or separated forever. After every character has been clicked there is delightfully done song over the credits. Even this aspect is personalized, telling the story of each member of the Nightwings caravan. While there are many details which can change, I wonder how many radically different endings exist.

In conclusion, Pyre is a heartfelt game by Supergiant Games. It's gorgeous, with wonderful music and clear mechanics. The characters are delightfully developed even for this reasonably quick game. It would be a great game but each of these facets contains a flaw, which mars what might have been a perfect gem. The visual effects occasionally feel crowded, the gameplay is a little too simple, too easy, and too repetitive. The time spent out of the Rites, filled with pointless activities feels empty. While the characters are well developed, the setting is vague and ill defined. Parts of the game, (the depictions of the characters) instill a desire to play again, but the blemishes make that unlikely. Still, it is definitely worth one play-through.

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