Review of some of the most memorable shopkeepers in video games: merchants and survivors of adversity.
After making our way through longing enemies of our blood and death, playing the life bar in a duel to the death against an end-of-phase boss or overcoming a path paved with traps and impossible platforms, rest is a grateful relief. Whether in the shelter of a town where we know that monsters are prohibited from accessing, or in a room where a typewriter announces that we are safe, being able to relax for a few minutes before going out to battle is a necessary space in each departure. Also, in Meristation we should not lower our guard; rearming and replenishing our resources is a mandatory task in many games. What would be of us without that blessed shop or that stranger that comes to our aid (and pocket)?
Although in some video games the clerk is a flat avatar whose limited function is to expose his sample, in other titles we have met shopkeepers with much more depth, whose charm has led them to become one of the most beloved characters of each lore. Resident Evil 4 would not be the same without the mysterious Chapman and his affected "What are you buying?", And the mischievousness of Devil May Cry 5 adds many points with the freshness of Nico Goldstein. Today we honor those shopkeepers who have brought a special value to each game, not only for their blessed showcase and their discounts, but for their special charisma, their gift to make trade a means of survival in extreme conditions and their influence on history . Of course, they are not all that they are, but they are all that they are. We also remember that due to its nature, this report contains spoilers of Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy X and X-2, Bayonetta, Devil May Cry 5 and the Darksiders saga.
The entrepreneur of Spira
In the jRPG, the store and the inn have been places of must-see in each city. Generally attended by a generic model NPC, in each establishment we were offered news according to the growth of the challenges that awaited in our adventure. However, in Final Fantasy X we met a merchant in whose fight for survival we could get involved: Oaka XXIII, played by Dwight Schultz (Murdock in Team A and voice actor in various video games and animated films). When Tidus finds this nomad, he is hardly an entrepreneur who dreams of making his street shop a reputable store: "Someday the name of Oaka will be famous in Spira!" The player will have the possibility of making a small donation to make his business stand out and that, later, it will be compensated with discounts. However, Oaka will be arrested for his support of Yuna, after she and her companions are declared traitors against Yevon. Finally, the merchant manages to escape and promises himself that he will abandon his profession. In Final Fantasy X-2, Oaka has tried to channel her career by buying the agency of the Rhine traveler in Macalania, a business that does not prosper after the sinking of the temple. The Seagulls propose to Oaka to climb the Celsius, where he goes back as a merchant and manages to settle his debts.
"Outsider, I have something that might interest you"
Among the traveling merchants who survive in a hostile world, we find the Resident Evil Chapman 4. In a town consumed by the victims of the Plague, this masked figure is suspicious and dressed in a black raincoat where he keeps his merchandise. This aspect evokes an illegal trafficker, and it is not surprising that he raises an initial distrust of the player when he introduces Leon with his "outsider, I have something that could be interesting". Kotaku dedicated an Reviews to this character and why it is so peculiar within the narrative of Resident Evil 4 and is that, despite showing signs of being infected, it is favorable to our special agent: “The other locals and creatures ignore him , they never attack him and we don't even see him fall prey to enemies in any kinematics. It is very likely that, owning so many weapons, it was considered a dangerous threat. Perhaps, being infected helps him to go unnoticed, but it seems strange that no one notices that he is the one who sells weapons to Leon so that he kills the villagers. ”His iconic phrases and accent mark his personality: "What are you going to sell?", "What are you going to buy?", "Aaaah, I'll buy it at a high price."
The Chapman (Resident Evil 4)
The fallen angel to the Gates of Hell
If we think of mysterious allies, we cannot ignore Rodin, the waiter of The Gates of Hell in the Bayonetta saga. This lonely tavern is not open to all audiences, and it seems that only those who move between the physical and divine planes can only enter. Thus, the witch of Umbra is a regular client, and with her we can visit the place between chapters or if we find an access in some of the levels.
Rodin is one of Bayonetta's few friends. Hidden behind his sunglasses, with the velvety voice of and his taste for jazz music, he will sell us weapons, techniques, objects and accessories in exchange for halos of angels and demonic orbs. If we take an LP, the bartender will move to the infernal plane to the rhythm of classical music to attract an infernal spawn, submit and forge a new equipment for the witch.
Rodin and Bayonetta in The Gates of Hell, where the witch is a regular customer.
As the game progresses, we discover through Luca's diary and the text about the Laguna Hierarchy that Rodin is a fallen angel, once the governor of a region of Paradiso and a respected gunsmith. After the rebellion against the celestial order, he was exiled to hell, where he disappeared, a story that is also told in The Eyes of Bayonetta, an art book from the Platinum Games play. Rodin runs the cocktail bar Las Puertas del Infierno, where he continues with his forge, from which Bayonetta obtains a great profit by acquiring his equipment, such as the Scarabough Fair and L’Amour Est Bleu gun assemblies. Among the objects of the fallen angel – who assures that if their price seems prohibitive, in hell they cost even more expensive – we will find a Platinum Ticket whose acquisition would save the soul of the merchant. If we manage to get the 9999999 halos it costs, we will transport ourselves to a plane where we will face Rodin in his true angelic form, and he will appreciate the release of his power.
Artisan of arms and prosthetic arms
If we talk about Rodin, we cannot forget another weapon maker: Nico Goldstein in Devil May Cry 5 brings a fresh air to the narrative, beyond being the assistant that gives us new equipment. Granddaughter of Nell Goldstein, the master teacher who designed for Dante Ebony and Ivory, the artisan pizpireta builds a prosthesis for Nero to replace the absence of his demonic arm. On several levels, we will find a telephone booth, through which we will contact the girl who will be swift and reckless in her caravan. Nico is also a great friend of Nero; Among them there is a great complicity that is shown in his continuous jokes, but also in the toughest moments of the boy, where the girl offers his understanding and comfort. Hideaki Itsuno, director of the game, commented on DualShock the care they put in when building Nicoletta's personality: “You don't see many female characters like her in Japanese games, and not only in these. But in video games you have the same stereotypes that are repeated, the same variations of male characters and female characters. So we said to ourselves ‘let's do something different with her’. That's where his impudence comes from. As someone who has the opportunity to interact with different types of people, it would be great to be a colleague of a cheeky girl, who smokes like a chimney, recognizes your defects to your face and supplies you with new equipment when you need it. Being close to someone like that is cane. And Nico comes from that fantasy. ”
Nico, without fear, extinguishes a cigarette on the forehead of an empusa.
Greed does the business
In Darksiders we meet a common character in all deliveries, and whose strange sympathy and infernal nature arouses some suspicion. Vulgrim, a demon who describes himself as "a humble merchant," exchanges souls with the Horsemen in exchange for weapons. His role in the game, initiated after the mission of Guerra giving him, is limited to that of merchant, although it provides some clues about the conspiracy that is woven against the Riders. Constant flatteries to Guerra are even suspicions, and Fury herself is hostile to him, but Vulgrim has never betrayed his clients, on the contrary, he acts as a guide for Guerra and even warns Fury of his enemies are closer than She believes. In future installments, it will be revealed if the demon sibylline has interests greater than greed.
At the service of the gods
God of War (2018) marked a new direction in the saga: a new combat system, a new universe and also a new progression system. In the previous installments, Kratos acquired his weapons and magic within the course of the game, and improved them by investing the collected red orbs. In the last installment, the Spartan found two new allies: Sindri and Brok, artisan brothers in perpetual dispute. This duo, already present in Norse mythology, forged Thor's hammer and Odin's spear. They also created the Leviathan Ax, which belonged to Faye, wife of Kratos, and which he inherited after being widowed. The Ghost of Sparta and her son not only improve their team thanks to this couple, but also attend their history of fraternal rivalry, in which they finally manage to file their rough edges and understand that their differences are complementary. Of antagonistic personalities —indri is polite and scrupulous, while Brok is coarse and moody — his relationship is gradually evolving, after which there was an acting work between Robert Craighhead (Brok) Adam J. Harrington (Sindri), who established a good chemistry, according to Craighead for God is a Geek: "While the rest of the actors were filming, we had a lot of free time and, while you're inlaid in those lycra tights with ping pong balls, we had a lot of time to talk and get to know each other. Adam is a wonderful actor on camera. I don't think of my teammates as only actors. "
Sindri and Brok, after reconciling, return to work together.
Beyond the secondary role
Many are the shopkeepers who have saved our lives in our digital adventures, and it is impossible not to become fond of those merchants who provide us with those coveted potions or a weapon that will solve our game. Even in spite of the fear they instill in our pocket, they arouse a special tenderness in us by simply being there when we need them. And, sometimes, we are not always grateful, like those times when we choose to abuse stealth so as not to go through the box. In others, we attended a painful script twist, such as Cole in Henry Hatsworth, who led a double life as our assistant and rival Leopold Weasleby. Throughout the game we can buy you improvements and objects and, in the end, we discover that our investments have been directed to the construction of a lethal robot dubbed The Machine, with which it revolts against us, tired of being denied for being too young.
On the other hand we have Tom Nook, the manager of Almacenes Nook (Animal Crossing), who has been very misunderstood by the public, says Ana Kyogoku, director of New Horizons, during an interview for IGN: “Tom Nook is in charge of Resident Services. Work from sun to sun to ensure that the inhabitants are happy and lead a quality life. "When Tom collects the debts of the residents and the players, I think it's because such services improve over time, and Tom invests that money in it, for the inhabitants."
Tom Nook in his office.
But what if a shopkeeper decides to go beyond his secondary role? Moonlighter (Digital Sun) dismantles the narrative of the traditional role to put ourselves in the shoes of a merchant who dreams of being a hero. During the day he manages his shop and caters for adventurers. At night, he lives his own epic, where he travels through dungeons and inhospitable worlds to get the food he will put on sale. During an interview for Equilateral, the study recounts how its inspiration lay in classic aRPG and roguelike, in addition to reflecting an allegory of their professional vocation: "The inspiration of David Fernández, creative director of the game, comes from games that he loves as the classic Zeldas, The Binding of Isaac, Harvest Moon, Golden Sun, etc … so mixing everything in one game seemed like a good idea.On the other, our reality as a service company that dreams of being an indie quality studio looks like a little to the wishes of the protagonist, Will, a shopkeeper who dreams of being a hero. "
Behind his counter, merchants await us with loyalty and their goods ready, even though the world is devoured. With cunning and charm as survival bastions, they are almost as essential in a story as the hero himself.
Will in Moonlighter, where he leads a double life as a shopkeeper and adventurer.
