Loop Hero (2021), Four Quarters

"And even if there is absolutely no chance of bringing it all back, there will always be someone who is willing to do the impossible." (Loop Hero Intro)

Video games are a way of taking the player out of reality for a little while, but I found this quite from the game's intro to stand out to me. Though said in the context of saving the world from imminent destruction, such a quote applies to real life in much smaller ways, showing how video games have the unique ability to put a person in the shoes of someone in a legitimately life or death experience and force them to find ways to save themselves, introducing them to skills that may make them more resilient in the real world. With this quote specifically, the game introduces a world that is supposedly unable to be saved, yet at the game's end, the player finds that they have done something that was claimed to be impossible. This imbues the player with a sense of satisfaction and most of all, empowerment. In the game, they were that one person willing to do the one thing that no one said they could do. They have fought against all odds and prevailed, no matter how many failures they may have experienced. They then take this feeling of empowerment and can apply it to real life. When they experience a setback, and are told that something they're trying is impossible, they experience a familiar feeling of determination. They want to be that one person who's known for doing the thing no one else said they would, so they push the boundaries of real life, and fight to feel that same feeling of empowerment that they felt as the hero of the video game. Though I don't play video games, I can relate to this quote, and the hero of the game, as I have a tendency to seek out ways to battle expectations and assumptions, and exceed them. In a complicated, ever growing world that can often make its inhabitants feel small, these types of empowering messages are important, and serve great purpose in the development of society. as humanity turns its collective minds to the digital world, and often, the video games within them.

“This path… everything is wrong! But I remember! It looks like a completely different place, and it's empty again! Do my actions have any meaning?” (Loop Hero Intro)

Loop Hero is a strategy game that drops you into a staggering setup—a lone hero stuck travelling in a loop. Unlike most games, it mediates the focus on crafting the hero's environment, weapons, and abilities, as opposed to solely controlling the protagonist. The hero operates on autopilot, walking the formless environment, fighting monsters it encounters, getting stronger, dying, starting the loop all over again. Loop Hero is a tangible parable to positive repetition—a process in which we, slowly but surely, become better. As we exert continuous effort in our work, careers, futures, relationships, there's a comfort in knowing that our struggle is going towards the larger narrative of our time on earth. The game's element of world erasure, where no one quite knows and recollects why or how the world ends, is an anecdote of rebuilding. It's reassuring to recognize that each step, big or small, has value in the grand scope of things. As opposed to instant gratification, consistent work doesn't show its immediate benefit. Instead, it's exactly what we want repetition to establish: a principle of improvement, where our finite actions steadily leads to a better future.

"There will always be someone who is willing to do the impossible... in a place without time" (Loop Hero Intro)

I found the quote "There will always be someone who is willing to do the impossible" really encapsulates the reason why people play video games like this. Many video games follow the narrative of you being the hero in a fallen world that is supposedly unsavable but nevertheless it is up to you to fix it. Loop Hero takes place in a world that is post apocalyptic world like many other games, the Last of Us is another example, and the only person that can save the doomed world is you. This narrative of playing the role of a hero gives the player a sense of accomplishment and feeling of fulfillment when completing a game like this. Also, I found describing the world as a "place without time" and the game itself being called "Loop Hero" made for interesting word play. The reason for the name "Loop Hero" is because the gameplay takes place in an endless circle. This idea of an "endless circle" goes hand and hand with a "place without time" because the constant circling and looping only lead you to the same fire to rest at is quite interesting. Even though you make progress, you never escape the Loop. Leading you to become the Hero of the Loop.

“In a place without space. Without time. Without memories.” (Loop Hero Intro)

This quote, in connection with the plot, comments on the idea of fate. It is possible to continue doing what you are made to do even when you might not know it. The Hero in this instance is put into a sort of loop that exercises his main attribute: fighting. It is to level him up to eventually face the being that condemned his world. The game takes this hero and, through obstacles, brings him to a place in which he is still able to continue toward the thing he was destined to do, regardless of how long it takes, where it happens and how. Every one of those entities, space, time, or memories, is present in some way. The point in mentioning them in that way is to emphasize, not that they don’t exist, but that their existence in Loop Hero doesn’t matter. Space can be discussed in the idea that the Hero and the player cannot see space until there is something that we can use to further us toward our destiny. Once that item (card) is given, we can expand our space even if we cannot see it. Space does not matter because although it exists beyond our senses, when we need to branch out, we will be given the opportunity. This also connects with time, in that there is no point in rashly invading the unknown space because it doesn’t matter how long it takes for you to get there, if it is your destiny, you’ll get there eventually. Time exists within Loop Hero as the day timer, however there can be many days in one loop or many loops in one day. This also means that the Hero is not at his base at the start of each day. Although there is a time counter, and there may be some fictitious way for the Hero to keep time, it doesn’t matter if time isn’t used as the function of normal life. Thus, it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get to your destiny, you’ll reach there at some point.

It is also worth pointing out that during the scene of when these lines are spoken, the visual is set up as a sort of portal to which the player, us, can see what is happening. There can be multiple interpretations of what this portal being may be in terms of the plot, but what I think it acts as is a form of memory. The circle limits what we can see in the memory, as we have little visual of the environment, of any other entities or be able to distinguish where exactly the Hero and the enemy are. The memory is the hero’s, as we find out when we start the game. We are given a memory before the beginning of the game but are deprived of any other because it doesn’t matter whether we recall our destiny or know what we have to do to achieve it. Our destiny will come in due time, whether we can see it or know it, because we are meant to be doing it. We don’t need to anticipate it to achieve it.

"Your saving of the world is one-sided and naive. Each person sees their own way of saving the world." (Loop Hero)

This quote explores the ideas of morality and heroism that are present in Loop Hero. At this point in the game, the hero is having a conversation with a harpy, who argues that the hero's goal is not as noble as he thinks it is. This is an especially interesting idea because the game as a whole is designed in a way similar to RPGs of the 1990s; it has a pixelated, 2D art style, music with a "retro" feel to it, and, most importantly, the story of a hero's quest to defeat evil or right some wrong that has occurred. In older video games we are used to often seeing the trope of a hero setting out to fight enemies, defeat the final boss, and save everyone. However, Loop Hero forces us to confront the assumption that the "hero" of a video game is always right. The harpy presents an alternative perspective; what if the hero is not thinking of the greater good, but rather what he wants to happen? What if he is ignoring other viable solutions, or neglecting the different problems being faced by others? If the hero is naive and ignorant, and insists that only his way is the reasonable one, then this doesn't seem to make him much of a hero at all. This idea is further emphasized in the fight between the hero and the harpy, during which the hero kills the harpy, and says that "by fixing one evil [he's] becoming a source of another". Even the hero acknowledges that not all of his actions are very heroic. The juxtaposition of the classic RPG design (which can be associated with the "good hero's quest" trope) with conflicting moral and ethical ideas makes the question of the hero's righteousness even harder to answer. This can also relate to other methods of storytelling, such as literature and film, in which it is important to recognize that a character being the protagonist of a narrative doesn't necessarily make them morally right⁠—even if they truly believe they are doing the right thing.

"This path... Everything is wrong! But I remember! It looks like a completely different place, and it's empty again! Do my actions have any meaning? [pause] Like I have a choice. If I need to give up and cry to save the world, I am the worst savior of all. Let's do it." (Loop Hero Introduction)

This quote, from the main protagonist of Loop Hero, reflects the mindset of many characters that reside in a post-apocalyptic world. The main protagonist of Loop Hero is stuck in a time loop, where he constantly has to build and rebuild himself and his resources up, while facing constant hordes of mobs, including vampires, skeletons, and more. The quote above reflects the dejected, yet stubbornly persistent "saviour of the world" mindset that the main protagonist has, of which he shares with many characters in similar situations. As the quote shows, the main protagonist has been defeated again and again and is both physically and mentally drained of constantly having to rebuild himself and his resources up in the endless time loop he is stuck in. It is a common trend that many "saviour of the world" characters, whether their world is post-apocalyptic or not, are young children. Although the age of the main protagonist is unclear, the image shown of his character portrays him to, at the very most, be a young adult. The fact that many "saviour of the world" characters feel as they must take on the challenges they face with a brave face, unable to cry and show their fear or emotions, makes many of these stories so devastating. Although these video games, novels, and movies are fiction, thinking of the trauma that these young children must carry and experience every day of their lives at such a young age, is enough to break anyone's heart. On top of this, many of these "saviour of the world" characters go through their journey alone, and those that do have close companions, whom are also often children themselves, accompanying them on their journey, are often either betrayed by someone close to them, or lose one, or many, of their loved ones. In these categories, the main protagonist of Loop Hero falls into the first one, starting their journey alone, accompanied only by loneliness, and nothing and no one else. Although many, including myself, use video games, novels, movies, and other similar forms of media as an escape from our own lives, it is distressing and heartbreaking to think that the widely cherished characters within these medias are not able to escape from their own difficult lives, like we are able to.

"I think your trips are deeply connected to your memories, my friend. Everything falls apart as soon as you're unconscious." (Loop Hero, 1:31:49)

This quote is given by Yota, one of the few survivors who could still remember their own name, to The Hero, the protagonist of the game. The Hero met Yota in a group of survivors that he met after lighting a fire to illuminate his surroundings. After The Hero failed to defeat a group of ghouls during an expedition and had to retreat, Yota and other survivors took The Hero back to safety. This is when Yota mentioned the above quotation and I felt this is important to write about because it tells us that The Hero cannot afford becoming unconscious as it is his weakness and would hinder him. This quotation helps us think about the larger topic of traditional role-playing game design as this story plot is almost certainly a game mechanic used to revive the player and being them back to the origin, which is a common technique used in many RPG games. This game mechanic is what creates "Loop Hero", as it causes the player to loop back to the beginning every time.

"Your saving of the world is one-sided and naive. Each person sees their own way of saving the world. That's why no one will ever join you."

(Loop Hero)

The protagonist of the game Loop Hero is on an endlessly repeating quest to save the world from total destruction. Taken as is, this reads as a rather reasonable motivation for the events of the game, and allows the player to grind and kill the various enemy NPCs when presented without feeling much remorse, or even thinking too hard about the philosophy that they're engaging in; that the ends justify the means. At least, not until the protagonist (and the player) are met with a harpy woman who appears perfectly content to let the world go while they exist in this formless limbo beyond space and time. Her reasoning is that in the protagonist's blind determination to save the world as they define it, they are in truth causing a lot more unnecessary death and suffering than if they were to accept the circumstances as things stand -- if the harpy woman kills the protagonist, and feeds their remains to her younglings, life would still go on, but by killing everyone who would obstruct them, the protagonist is only extending their own wellbeing at the cost of countless others within this new ecosystem. And yet even after this interaction, should the protagonist successfully dispatch the harpy woman, they are just as grimly resolved to continue down the same ambiguous path in the name of heroism.

I believe there is a lot of similarity to be found between the provided quote and the theme of obsession in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. There is a bit of meta commentary happening here on the nature of player motivation, too, and the two topics (obsession and player motivation) are key factors in what makes Loop Hero so engaging, maybe even addictive. Just like Victor Frankenstein, the hero-protagonist of the Loop Hero is convinced that they're in the right, blazing toward their perceived goal without care nor concern for the effects caused by their single-minded actions. If they fail, they try again. Again, again, and again, not once considering a deviation from their usual standard, and all for a rather nebulous end target of saving the world. Of course, this mindset is also reflective of the player's mentality, as in most roguelike video games, all one needs to do to "win" the game (or earn shiny achievements) is follow instructions, and if they die, well, they can always restart -- no harm, no foul. I think in this regard, Loop Hero takes advantage of its genre quite effectively in order to push its storyline.

“There will always be someone who is willing to do the impossible.” Loop Hero Entry

This is interesting because having this line at the very start of a video game could help immerse the player into the character of the hero. Which also gives the player a chance to escape reality and be fully in the game. Along with that, this line could act as a foreshadowing of the actual game itself as it is talking about who fits in the criteria. At first, glance, when we see the word “impossible,” most likely as the player we would think there is this hard challenge waiting for us in the game, making us more intrigued to play it further. This, I believe is a common tactic used by developers to hook their players to the game by showing a challenge in the introduction. Also, the player gets a sense of what is waiting for them in the game by just looking at the introductions, so having a solid introduction, I believe is the most effective way to have more players playing the game.

"I feel awful. By fixing one evil I'm becoming a source of another. There's no home for Harpies except the highest mountains, but there's no food there. I can't imagine how they managed to survive if their mountains were cut from reality"

This is said by the "Hero" after his encounter with the Harpy. The Harpy tells him that he cannot save the world as he is doing now, and that the only person he is actually saving, is himself. After the Harpy leaves (at least for the time being), The Hero admits that he is actually doing evil and harming everything around him. He gets the opportunity to think outside of himself and consider what the Harpy is going through. Furthermore, up until this point, the hero has been fighting battles time and time again with obstacles and enemies he has placed on his own path for his own benefit (to get loot), and he considers himself the true hero of the game even though his wins depend on his enemies' losses. The name "Loop Hero" seems a little ironic to me, because if the hero is continuously going in never-ending loops, is he truly winning, and therefore, is he truly a "hero"? It's also interesting that the hero knows that the harpies cannot survive anywhere else but the mountain and so he can choose to build mountains from the rocks and he can continue to come across the harpy and then defeat them and the loop will be never ending in every way. The hero also says that their "mountains were cut from reality" and he doesn't know how they have survived because of this. I find this a little ignorant because it is because of him that they are living on mountains and it is because he is the hero that they don't have a life situated in reality. Overall, loop hero is a game that continually creates and breaks conventions and challenges the player to confront the truths of the game.

"My old memories of the world were gone. The path was empty again, and there was only darkness everywhere I looked."

This quote is said by the Hero the first time he retreats back to the camp after an expedition and meets with Yota. During his conversation with Yota, she congratulates the protagonist for managing to return back to the camp and still remembered by the rest of the survivors. This is when the Hero mentions the quote above, that he wouldn’t call this expedition a success as the path and world he created during his adventure seemed to disappear once again. Although he was able to recreate/remember bits and pieces of the world temporarily, the path he creates disappears the moment the Hero returns back to camp or is knocked unconscious forcing him to start over. The concept of constantly forgetting and remembering puts the Hero in a permanent “loop” (hence the name) and in an almost routinely action of going on expeditions to search for answers about the world as well as gather materials for him and the survivors to survive. This "routine" serves as a perfect setting and plotline for a roguelike game. Unlike other roguelikes though, Loop Hero is very unique as there is no permadeath and instead the player is forced to constantly play until they are able to proceed in the game. With the ability to keep some of the resources when defeated and no permadeath, Loop Hero is an excellent game for those who want to try the roguelike genre.

“I’m too weak. But you can help me and I will set this crumbled world right… right! I’m doing this not for just myself. But for everyone. In the name of good…”

This is a line spoken by the vampire in Loop Hero when the protagonist first encounters him. We are well aware that the vampire is one of the many enemies in the game, judging by how he is against the protagonist. However, whether through media like games or fiction stories, there will always be antagonists who think that they can save the world or society in their ways. Demonstrably, this vampire character is one of the aforementioned antagonists who think that they are doing the world a favour when, in reality, they are only fulfilling their desires. Here is not to say that all antagonists are at fault since everyone has unique viewpoints. It is just that some are solving the problem using the wrong strategy, attempting to hurt others to reach their goal.

- You saving the world is one-sided and naive. Each person sees their own way to save the world. That's why no one will ever join you. (Harpy)

- ... How do you see saving the world? (Hero)

- By my progeny and kin. May they live and be strong. May they join the cycle of life and death. That is life. That is the world. (Harpy)

(Four Quarters, Loop Hero)

Just before they started fighting, Harpy and Hero had a little chat. This conversation illustrates the issue of individuals and groups having conflicting views on what constitutes proper and improper behaviour. According to Harpy, the present situation is appropriate since it represents the natural order of things, the "cycle of life and death." In general, humans dismiss such behaviour as typical of lower life forms and instead focus on constantly bettering their own way of life and the social structure in which they enjoy the highest possible standard of living. Not only that, but Hero is willing to die for his moral values and vision of what life should be like, despite having no memories of his past. It should be prosperous, progressive, and full of joy for everybody. In contrast, Harpy takes a more "animal" and less "social" view of the situation; she is concerned primarily with providing for herself and her offspring but not with contributing to society or taking risks to improve the quality of life for her descendants.

The differences in belief systems between animals and humans are highlighted. As Harpy put it, no one will side with Hero because everyone has their version of the truth. Different species and individuals have different opinions on what should happen next in our globe. Some people are comfortable with the current unequal manner of living chosen by a single 'person,' while others are not. However, there is no way to come to a fair conclusion that will satisfy everyone.

“Come to think of it, murderers and thieves are part of this world too. If my mission is to return everything back to normal, should I be happy they’re appearing again.”

While the protagonist seems determined to save the world and bring back humanity, they forget to ask themselves: who are they fighting for? They are placed into this position to fill - to be a brave hero, to fight the antagonist, and to restore good in the world - without the background knowledge of the issue at hand. Although having a naive hero is better than none, this quote questions whether I should be rooting for them. Their two-dimensional view of good and evil, grouping “murders and thieves” together, reflects their ignorance. And, is further reflected in the 2-D style that has retro and child-like characteristics. If they had a choice, would they only save the ‘good’ people and leave the ‘bad’ people to fend for themselves? Environment and climate change repercussions are unfairly placed on those suffering from socioeconomic inequalities. Sometimes, this pushes these people to do illegal things in order to survive economic hardship because not everyone has the privilege of having a hero save them. So, to answer the hero’s question if they should be happy that ‘bad people’ are appearing again: Yes, all humans are better than none. Perhaps if everyone lived in a just world, everyone would have the capability of being ‘good’ people.

"You want to save the world; you want to ask for help. Our answer is no." (Loop Hero)

I love this quote from loop hero because my opinion is that the hero is not a hero at all as we discussed in class. We talked about the protagonist of this story being extremely coercive and self-centered. The antagonist in this story talks about how she wants to do what is best for feeding her children and the so-called protagonist in this story seems to be seeing only his side of the problem while completely undermining the issues in which the red winged woman has been trying to describe to him. This makes you think the hero is not actually a hero to anyone else in the story but himself and is extremely self centered.

“In a place without space. Without time. Without memories.” (Loop Hero Intro)

I found this quote very interesting when reading it from a point of view that its theme is dystopia. Space, time, and memories are all defining characteristics of how we see the world as humans. Imagining the world without memories, without any past to reflect on, observe, and learn from, is a scary thought. Without any history or background it is difficult to decide what decisions to make, specifically in Loop Hero. It is also difficult to know the consequences of ones actions. The lack of knowledge about the past world creates a very dystopian reality within the game, and allows for more fun in the game, specifically not knowing the advantages and disadvantages each decision made creates. Time I found to be especially intriguing, considering there is no true count of time when playing the game. You simply go around and around in a loop until you accomplish something or defeat a boss. I think this can connect to how humans live their day to day lives. There are important days with deadlines to meet, days when we get to go on vacation, days when we get to see friends or family, and then there are the days in between that simply pass us by with little to no meaning. These days, in loop hero, are like when you defeat a slime "character. Because there are so many of them consistently and the chore seems so trivial, there is nothing about defeating them that signifies a memorable accomplishment. Taking up space is another important concept to consider when reflecting on the dystopian nature of the game. The space taken up by the character is completely different than the space we as humans take up. We are free, we are not actually stuck in a physical tunnel that goes in a loop even though it may feel like it sometimes. We live in a space with many options of where we can go, what resources we can obtain, what we can do and specialize in in the form of careers, and most importantly, a space with other people to rely on and relate to who have similar needs to us. From an economic perspective, we do not need to rely on ourselves for each of our individual needs and resources. We don't need to each grow our own fruit, we can go to a grocery store, that buys the fruit from farms, and then sells it to us with a small cost compared to the amount of time it would take to grow it ourselves. In Loop Hero, the hero needs to be completely self sufficient since there are no other people, which is part of what makes the game so dystopian and completely unlike our reality. Overall, look hero is a clear example of a dystopian world similar to our own in some very basic ways, but extremely different in environmental factors.