Carcass Clad predictions
Wrong Organ is releasing a new game and I'm intrigued. Set in what appears to be a post apocalyptic world, three survivors - Kanerva, Erkki, and Taisto - are forced to traverse through and escape an armed territory full of cultists and death. With both How Fish is Made to Mouthwashing, there are a few common elements: * Characters with nuanced motivations; * A bleak world, shown through a combination of dialogue and environmental storytelling; * Allegories to real world issues, despite the surreal or sci-fi nature of the games themselves; * A focus on moral choices with no explicit answers as to what is right or wrong. WO games often trust the player to interpret the narrative themselves by withholding information or presenting the truth indirectly, through symbolism and the mechanics of the game.
In the 1 minute trailer that just dropped, we can ascertain: * Parts of the world are mid or post conflict; * The voice actors speak Finnish, but there are signs written with cyrillic letters on red backrounds (and attatched to brutalist architecture) - reminiscent of Soviet Russia; * The main characters are in the midst of conflict, potentially setting up the story to be the result of war between the two neighbouring countries in the fight for territory/power; * Cattle are described as "divine". They are focal in many visual shots and their cries permeate the audio. Given the above, as well as the title directly referencing bodies (not restricted to cattle, it should be noted), I believe the main storyline will be about the consequences of war on humans and other animals caught in the crossfire. Despite being sacred, cattle are used as armour on machines of war regardless of whether they're alive. This sacriligeous treatment of gentle animals is a graphic reflection on the devaluation of life when wars break out. Throughout the story we may see civilians perish as an indirect result of our actions, or it may be directly enforced through gameplay a la Spec Ops: The Line (2012).
Continuing with the cattle motif, I predict that the three characters will be connected with the three main products of cattle slaughter - milk, skin, and flesh. Symbolism can be linked to each product, each product to a role, and this could tie in with their characterisation.
Kanerva is the milk. She provides for the crew. *Milk is produced for young animals to grow and survive. It is seen as an almost holy drink when taken by humans, forced to act as caretakers to humans by providing them with nourishment (and more cattle). *As the commander, Kanerva is forced to guide and command her crew through danger - like a mother cow with calves. According to her bio, she wants an "easy and glamourous life", a description not often attributed to motherhood. Leadership and responsibility may not be in her nature, yet it is the role she must take regardless. Erkii is the skin. He defends the crew. * Leather has been traditionally used as light armour for protection. It's thick and insulating, creating a barrier between body and weapon. The quality of leather and skin is correlated with moral strength; thin skin is worn by cowards and those with a fragile ego, while thick skin is donned by those with a tolerance to hardship. * As the gunner, Erkii is responsible for targetting who to kill in order to protect himself and the crew. He is the face of physical strength and morality. It was pointed out that Erkii is the only one whose description doesn't mention being enlisted/drafted. If Erkii is there on his own volition, he isn't being forced into war - he wants to be an actor in the conflict. He may have a personal motive for joining the war, but what we do know is he's a "survivor". A self-inflicted survivor and voluntary killer. In my mind, this makes Erkii a potential antagonist. Taisto it the meat. He is the body of the tank, and the story can't progress without its driver. * The first use of meat is for food. A life is taken to temporarily fuel the life of another. Alternatively, as shown in the trailer, cattle are used as a literal meat shield. In this case, lives are taken to delay the death of others. In both cases, lives are exchanged. Like in war, there are winners and losers in the push-pull of battle dynamics. Unlike in nature, the use of cattle is excessive to the point of cruelty. I believe this point will be supported as more of the game is seen and played, but already we see and hear cattle in excrutiating pain as seen in real life. "Real cows were harmed making this game," - I'm assuming the audio is taken from actual slaughterhouses for the discomfort of the player. * As the driver, Taisto obeys the commands of the 'higher ups'. He is not only physically placed below the others - he's in the cockpit with a limited field of view and must trust the other crew members judgements. If he gets conflicting orders, he must make a choice between them or refuse to act, yet either option places the responsibilities on his shoulders. He can't be blamed for misinformation or irrational choices present to him, but he must bare the consequences regardless. I predict he will be a sacrifice as some point, destined to lose because he was forced to play. A sacrifice, like the cattle adorning the tank. While Carcass Clad will be a survival co-operative, I'm excited to see how the story is set-up. Wrong Organ is skilled at fleshing out their stories through subtle world building and use of game mechanics to create a narrative. Though I have highly enjoyed the dialogue-heavy games of WO past, I hope fans of Wrong Organ through Mouthwashing and How Fish is Made can appreciate Carcass Clad as a unique experience when it comes out. :)
