2# game versus book

It is important to talk about what the Terranigma player can expect from this book.

Although it is based on the content and characters of the game world, the narrative should stand on its own two feet and be able to function outside of the video game. This means that a lot of game content is changed or left out and, at the same time, new and the author’s own content is integrated into the plot. This is not only wanted from a creative point of view, but also absolutely necessary in order to translate the video game medium into a comprehensible novel plot, which ideally can also be understood by readers who are not yet familiar with the game or gaming in general. My original readership can be found in my household and has never had the character Ark fight against small Huballs in five different towers. As an author, I have to ask myself the question of whether I really want to lead my character into five similar dungeons, in which I have to jump over abysses, defeat monsters and talk to souls, or whether I can achieve the actual goal and result in another way. Although I part with the given sequence of the game, I stay on the wide-lane plot highway towards the goal. I just choose my own track and speed. I still wake up the sunken continents, say goodbye to my loved ones, even face the boss opponent of the first act and in a certain way fall into another world.

Of course, a 1:1 story that is as true to the original as possible would be conceivable, but I have decided on my own approach, in which I allow myself absolute artistic freedom and also venture into a relatively more realistic narrative, provided that this is at all possible in a rpg / fanatasy game. So there are no mini dungeons or puzzles, no desert zombies (at least not directly), no skater boy in an asian castle, no visit to cute penguins, few magic items and also no world in which people of the 15th century appear together with those of the 20th century. And now it’s getting really thick: there is no box and no Yomi that is supposed to support us in the typical video game style and take away the loneliness, keyword “Hey, listen!” Terranigma also contains numerous plotholes, which I try to circumvent with my own approaches and still want to preserve the essence of the video game as best as possible. But we stay on said highway and crawl under a huge tree, climb up the Grecliff, travel across the world to remote Tibet and back to the Loire. We meet kings and queens and leave seas and oceans behind.

Let’s go on this journey together when I will share some content and general progress with you in the near future, we will discuss games and books and your hoped interest will motivate me further and shorten my recurring breaks in writing. It is not without reason that I have been working on this project for over 10 years and in between I haven’t put a word on paper for half a year until a sudden flash of inspiration, a song or even a dream has sparked the next flood of writing 😉

best regards
M.X.H