"Castle in the Sky" game framework (essay)
I'm not sure where this should go as it includes movies as well as games but I'll put it here, this might fit better in general FF. Note to any readers: this will be kinda long.
After reading Masamune's essay on the biblical framework of FFX, I thought I'd post what I consider to be the framework of many games and animated movies. Throughout are going to be spoilers of various movies and games o skip over parts you don't want to be spoiled, there will be the title in bold before the discussion of each game or movie.
I'm going to call this frame "Castle in the Sky" based on the movie by Miyazaki. What this encompasses is a power structure found in games that generally includes the following:
a) A source of power that is greater then anything people could achieve.
b) A villian that frequently gets so caught up in his dream of this power he loses all else. Kind of a corrupting to desire to merge with an all powerful force.
c) This source of power is usually a single entity, I'll explain this more later.
What I find interesting about this is the many different ways the framework is used to make wonderfully different tales.
The best way to explain this framework I think is to show examples and give how they fit in with this.
Castle in the Sky
The movie "Castle in the Sky" is the first example of such, it has something much greater then what people can reach. The idea of the force being in the sky is fitting, for that gives it much more a feeling of being unachievable or something above everything. The castle also holds immense power and the movie includes a villian so caught away in his desire for this power he loses all else. Finally everything in the castle is controlled by a crystal, making it all work as one entity based on that crystal. This is a simple example but gives the basic take on the "Castle in the Sky" idea. But what's special about this is the sense of harmony in the castle before the military comes. The sense of peace found there is wonderfully done. (I will rate, not for much point how much I liked each movie/game out of ten after discussing it) 9/10
Steamboy
A second example that's still a movie I watched for the first time last night, "Steamboy." In "Steamboy we see a story entirely based on the motives of different people and their take on machines. The base however of the most advanced and powerful machinery is called a castle. It's a huge fortress based on incredible amounts of steam power, far beyond anything else at the time (it's set in 1866) and it has many exaggerations that wouldn't actually work but within the logical context of the feel of the movie it does work. Anyways, it has this immense power and many people hugely caught up with it for various motives but usually what they see as power, this could be wealth, scientific capabilities or military prowess. We also see the idea of the entire force as one entity when we see the Eddy, the father of the main character become part of the steam castle. This movie definitely fits the story but again has the very interesting unique take on it. It's based around the motives and the different powers each see in the steam castle. 8/10
Metropolis
I don't watch a lot of animation outside of Miyazaki but I did see Metropolis due to my father's love of well done graphics. I saw it a while ago so I don't have much memory of it, but I'm pretty sure it fit into this basic structure. I remember another take on the value of machines in the metropolis. 7/10
Akira
I haven't watched this though I probably will soon but I've heard it's based in the desire of power, and I'm guessing it fits this framework.
Edit: I have now watched Akira... it was pretty crappy and kind of fits the framework, I think it has too mcuh of a take of destruction and not enough basis in storyline importance. Also there is no place that really has the castle in the sky value, just the power part. 3/10
Now for games...
Final Fantasy X
This is a simple example that I would've shown first if I didn't feel like getting movies out of the way first. Sin is very clearly a practically impregnable fortress, it also follows the feeling of a single entity due to the entire control of Yu Yevon, and that it is all one living thing; Sin. It is also an immense source of power which the main villian of the game, Seymour attempts to tap into (yes, Seymour was the main villian). I see this as a simple example, but we do see an interestingly done example of need for power. 9.2/10
Shadow Hearts
The final dungeon looks quite similar to the castle in the sky and contains the immense power of being summoned by the strongest of three sealed away scriptures due to extreme power. This is used by (SPOILER)Albert Simon, who calls himself Roger Bacon for the majority of the game to attempt to summon a god to end the world. This is a very different use then we normally see yet this game does fit the criteria in some ways. I wasn't sure whether to include this but I wanted to show a slightly different perspective at some point. Shadow Hearts Covenant also does a bit with this, Rasputin's dungeon is living, a single entity based around him and a source of power, Asmodeus. 8/10 and 10/10
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII gives us the lifestream the soul of everything. This seems to follow a somewhat monist sense of the world, everything is one and yet that one divides into everything possibly giving more of a sense of a philosopher like Empedocles. Who believed that love and strife (in the FFVII world death and bringing the life that was you into someone else) brought together and seperated the elements. The lifestream is very clearly the source of power and is the target for the villian, Sephiroth. It is also a single entity following my framework. This game has it's wonderful version if that the lifestream is quite different from any other source we've seen and how well Sephiroth is done (as is Jenova). 10/10
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX has a source of power that Kuja goes to. His purpose as it in SH is to destroy though, he doesn't want the world to go on without him so while he goes for this immense power he's also willing to destroy it (note: Kuja was a great villian). With the power of the crystal we very clearly see that everything comes from a single source and a single entity and as we see throughout the final dungeon, memories from past generations stick with us as everything comes from as source, as do all memories. I find FFIX to be an absolutely wonderful take because of how well Kuja was done. 9/10
Other FF type mentions
I never spent the time to get too far in FFVI but I'm pretty sure Kefka's tower fits. I will also mention here that flying fortresses with a lot of power do not necassarily fit if it doesn't have a central force in itself to the story. My beloved FFVIII arguably has some of this due to time compression allowing only one entity to live, but I don't consider it to fit. Also the farplane could be considered a very interesting take as it's quite different then most discussed here, making it for me not applicable.
Other types of games/movies that would have this
Generally when a game has a power seeking villian there will be some force like this, and a similar framework. Frequently it's based around magic or machines (the way machines occur fitting this framework is done much more interestingly in Japanese work then anywhere else). An example outside of one's above might be Proto Merkabah or something else from Xenosaga.
Discussion Topic
For a topic, what do you think of this idea?
Do you have any examples that fit in an interesting way?
Or if there's anything else you want to say I'd love replies.
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