Writing Better Stories #1

I love a good old mystery story. What is it that makes the mystery genre so appealing? There are, of course, endless answers to this. One of them is plot twists. Plot twists seem to be a very effective device to leave an impression on the audience. But are all plot twists great? Is going for the most unpredictable the only thing we have to do in order to create a plot twist? Let’s explore a small portion of this issue using one example in this post.

An example I’d like to elaborate on is the Criminal Case: Pacific Bay game. As with other games in the Criminal Case franchise, the region is divided into several districts. Among all the Pacific Bay districts, the Inner City arc is my favorite theme-wise. An organ-stealing criminal runs loose in the district as the local Chinese and Russian groups continue their never-ending feud with each other. The suspense is built across three cases (two other cases deal with another subplot). And finally, the cases are solved in the district’s last case, titled Under the Skin.

In typical Criminal Case fashion, most of the suspects are returning characters – except for one man. And unfortunately, it is this man who is revealed to be the culprit. There are even no allusions to his existence in all the previous cases. This makes the pay-off rather disappointing, because the suspense has been built for so long. We also know very little about him (his backstory, personality, etc.) in contrast to the other suspects whom we have gotten to know in previous cases. Can this be called a plot twist? If we insist on calling it a plot twist, then it is the kind of plot twist that hinges on this kind of logic: the less we know about someone, the less suspicious that person is, and a good plot twist it will be when that person is revealed to be the culprit all along. I disagree with that logic. This is perhaps more like a deus ex machina rather than a plot twist. So although Inner City is my favorite district theme-wise, I do find the ending to be somewhat unsatisfactory.

How can we fix this kind of situation? Here’s what I think. First, introduce the ultimate culprit earlier. Tie him in earlier into the story. This gives us more time to develop and get to know the character. I actually have no problem with the (eventual reveal of the) motivation of Under the Skin’s culprit. I think it matches the brutality and unhinged-ness (if that’s even a word) of the deeds. It’s just that we didn’t spend a lot of time getting to know the culprit. Wouldn’t it be more satisfying if we knew the culprit, and yet still not see that plot twist coming? Second, drop more hints. I don’t think all the hints that appear in a case should be resolved in that case. We can leave some unresolved, and they will start making sense as the story progresses. This will also promote continuity between the cases and solidify the overall arc.

So there you have my opinion on the matter. I understand that Criminal Case probably wanted its hidden objects mechanism to be its main appeal. However, I believe enhancing the writing will elevate the gaming experience further. I do still love Criminal Case like the mystery geek I am, although I haven’t played anything beyond the World Edition. (Yikes!)