The Telling Nature of Second Chances
How Beacon Pines Manages to Use the Charms Mechanics to Aid Their Narrative
Do you believe in fate or choice? A lot of recent games boast about their branching narratives, but what if I wish to experience these narratives within a single playthrough? Is that possible?
I never thought that one could use a branching mechanic as part of linear storytelling, but I was quickly proven wrong by the game Beacon Pines.
What is Beacon Pines?
Beacon Pines is a “cute and creepy” adventure game released in 2022. This storybook-based exploration follows our cute anthropomorphic deer, Luka, as he teams up with some friends to unveil the mysteries that have been looming over Beacon Pines since the death of his father six years ago.
Did I mention a storybook? The narrator of the game emphasises time and time again that our choices matter, so it’s easy to fall into the delusion that this is a branching narrative game. Throughout gameplay, players collect charms (words collected from different circumstances) that have the power to alter the fate of the story. When you meet an unfortunate conclusion, the narrator opens up a new branch in the storybook, and you get to see how the story unfolds with a new charm slotted into the sentence.
Seems like an ordinary branching narrative? Think again: Beacon Pines somehow managed to transform this mechanic into a vital part of its storytelling and delivered a story that is both jarring and heartwarming at the same time.
You Know What They Don’t
The game gives a false sense of choice when there is only one true ending. It is of a linear nature, and you might feel fooled by it. We all hate a game that presents multiple dialogue choices, only to provide the same response for all three.
Beacon Pines does indeed follow a linear structure, but the implementation of the charms mechanic aids the narrative instead. As you venture into all the possible bad endings, you learn a lot more about what’s happening in the universe, compared to just following the main plotline. The game cleverly uses these words to fill in more details that you might not even know if you hadn’t ventured down that path. In this case, words matter, encouraging you to seek out the entire truth.
I’m sure we have all experienced regret in life for not knowing the entire truth. Fights with friends and family without knowing their side of the story, and only realising how things are not what they seem until years later, when it’s too late to go back. Beacon Pines triggers a similar feeling for me, but manages to salvage it through this mechanism. I only know the full story, because I went back and tried new charms, and the game gave me second, third, and fourth chances.
The game also encourages you to actively search for charms, as you could easily miss them, and, in turn, am unable to complete the full story. What ends up happening is that you find yourself digging through every corner of the picturesque world (and trust me, you will want to) to find bits that make your playthrough richer.
For once, there is a lack of agency that I am not mad about. The story is only fulfilling when you learn about the different timelines and events, and it’s a satisfying game with interesting dialogue, great characters, and an amazing story.
The One Fault
For a game that shows all these different timelines within one playthrough, I wish there were more descriptions or guidance as to what happened in each timeline. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember where we left off and which is canonical in that particular timeline, which makes the progression of the timelines feel a bit clunky.
While it doesn’t matter much in hindsight since most of the information from ‘bad’ timelines doesn’t contribute to the main story, it can still confuse the player during gameplay.
A Short Delight
Beacon Pines initially attracted me with its beautiful illustrations and adorable characters, but what ended up happening was a great lesson on narrative in art.
While I always fight for a “true” branching narrative, there are situations where a fake branching narrative can add to a story, such as the case in Beacon Pines. I suppose there is no right or wrong in storytelling, and sometimes stepping outside of the box can lead to even greater delights.
So, do I believe in fate or choice?
How about both?
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