I got to this piece from a link on tumblr, and I really enjoyed this article! The deathloop part is very similar to what happens in the movie "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" but not exactly timeloops, it's different universes but where the same repetition happens.
I THINK YOU WOULD REALLY LOVE THE VIDEO GAME STAY? !!!!!! i promise this is not spam . even if that's exactly what a spam bot would say,,, (this is all i was thinking about while reading this !!) https://ejadelomax.itch.io/stay
The original time-loop story was "The Defence of Duffer's Drift", which was a lesson on tactics for military officers which was definitely not about love. There were multiple imitations of it to teach other military lessons before Groundhog Day. Edge of Tomorrow brings back the military context, and the central failing of the protagonist at the beginning of that film is that he's a coward who sought to avoid putting himself at risk during the conflict he acted as a PR flack for. He has a love interest named Rita, but due to her earlier experience in such a loop she wants to avoid a repeat of that, and by the end of the film she's forgotten her experience with him.
Happy Death Day is about the protagonist becoming a better person, and she has a love interest, but the film isn't about the romantic angle in the way Groundhog Day was. She breaks the loop by solving the murder mystery, and Cage broke his loop by defeating the aliens (just as Duffer's Drift ended when victory was finally achieved). I mean, sure, he also got his blood replaced to break his loop, but the point of that in the narrative was to raise the stakes for defeating the aliens.
one piece of time loop media that i especially love is the groundhog day musical! of course it takes everything that makes the original movie great as this article outlined, but with the added meta loop of the actors repeating their performances (and having to rehearse over and over again before they could even take to the stage), looping the story itself multiple times a week, or even multiple times in one day, it really gives the story an added layer in terms of the time loop - the actors are stuck in groundhog day, just as the characters are. it's always struck me - i keep on thinking about phil connors at the end of the musical, after 2 and a half hours, finally waking up on the morning of february 3rd, and all the while knowing that the very next night he'll be stuck in groundhog day once more, reliving his personal transformation all over again. of course there's so much more about this musical that makes it great (the way they execute the montage of phil's suicides is particularly brilliant) but the way the medium of theatre reflects this story was always extremely appealing to me!
I really loved this article! I know that one of the reasons time-loop stories appeal to me personally is because, when I'm at my lowest, I tend to fall into believing that nothing I do will matter—life becomes stagnant, lifeless and unmoving. Time-loop stories, like the ones you've described, can have a very healing quality: even if life has become lifeless—if these characters believe, and try to find their way out, they give themselves that vital chance of bringing life, consequence, and love back.
If you haven't already seen it, and if you're interested at all—I'd highly recommend a film called 'The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things'—it's another time-loop movie (made in 2021, available on Prime)—and everything you've mentioned about love, growth and consequences—along with some extras, is all explored in it beautifully. It's a really, really wonderfully made film, and if you love time loop stories, is a must-watch.
I think you've convinced me to give Oxenfree a try, because I like the way you've described the consequences in the game. Thank you!
the descriptions in this of different stories/movies/games are done very well and help the a reader unfamiliar with any of them still come to understand the end goal of this essay. well done
I got to this piece from a link on tumblr, and I really enjoyed this article! The deathloop part is very similar to what happens in the movie "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" but not exactly timeloops, it's different universes but where the same repetition happens.
I THINK YOU WOULD REALLY LOVE THE VIDEO GAME STAY? !!!!!! i promise this is not spam . even if that's exactly what a spam bot would say,,, (this is all i was thinking about while reading this !!) https://ejadelomax.itch.io/stay
The original time-loop story was "The Defence of Duffer's Drift", which was a lesson on tactics for military officers which was definitely not about love. There were multiple imitations of it to teach other military lessons before Groundhog Day. Edge of Tomorrow brings back the military context, and the central failing of the protagonist at the beginning of that film is that he's a coward who sought to avoid putting himself at risk during the conflict he acted as a PR flack for. He has a love interest named Rita, but due to her earlier experience in such a loop she wants to avoid a repeat of that, and by the end of the film she's forgotten her experience with him.
Happy Death Day is about the protagonist becoming a better person, and she has a love interest, but the film isn't about the romantic angle in the way Groundhog Day was. She breaks the loop by solving the murder mystery, and Cage broke his loop by defeating the aliens (just as Duffer's Drift ended when victory was finally achieved). I mean, sure, he also got his blood replaced to break his loop, but the point of that in the narrative was to raise the stakes for defeating the aliens.
This is a lovely, lovely piece—and if you haven't played The Outer Wilds (NOT to be confused with Outer WORLDS) YOU SHOULD
one piece of time loop media that i especially love is the groundhog day musical! of course it takes everything that makes the original movie great as this article outlined, but with the added meta loop of the actors repeating their performances (and having to rehearse over and over again before they could even take to the stage), looping the story itself multiple times a week, or even multiple times in one day, it really gives the story an added layer in terms of the time loop - the actors are stuck in groundhog day, just as the characters are. it's always struck me - i keep on thinking about phil connors at the end of the musical, after 2 and a half hours, finally waking up on the morning of february 3rd, and all the while knowing that the very next night he'll be stuck in groundhog day once more, reliving his personal transformation all over again. of course there's so much more about this musical that makes it great (the way they execute the montage of phil's suicides is particularly brilliant) but the way the medium of theatre reflects this story was always extremely appealing to me!
I really loved this article! I know that one of the reasons time-loop stories appeal to me personally is because, when I'm at my lowest, I tend to fall into believing that nothing I do will matter—life becomes stagnant, lifeless and unmoving. Time-loop stories, like the ones you've described, can have a very healing quality: even if life has become lifeless—if these characters believe, and try to find their way out, they give themselves that vital chance of bringing life, consequence, and love back.
If you haven't already seen it, and if you're interested at all—I'd highly recommend a film called 'The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things'—it's another time-loop movie (made in 2021, available on Prime)—and everything you've mentioned about love, growth and consequences—along with some extras, is all explored in it beautifully. It's a really, really wonderfully made film, and if you love time loop stories, is a must-watch.
I think you've convinced me to give Oxenfree a try, because I like the way you've described the consequences in the game. Thank you!
the descriptions in this of different stories/movies/games are done very well and help the a reader unfamiliar with any of them still come to understand the end goal of this essay. well done