Amnesia is one of the most frequently used and overdone tropes in any medium, but it’s particularly common in video games. Often used as an excuse for exposition dumping, amnesia is used as a device to introduce players into the world of a video game, but its execution is often wrought with contrivances and clichés.
Take Ace Attorney: Justice for All, for example. As a sequel to Ace Attorney, Justice for All‘s first case serves as an introduction for any newcomers who didn’t play its predecessor. As a result, Phoenix gets a case of amnesia after getting knocked out and “forgets” how to be a lawyer… it’s insufferable, contrived, and makes this the worst case in the entire franchise as a result. It’s especially egregious when you look at how the other Ace Attorney game’s first cases reintroduce characters and ideas. It’s ill-conceived and uninspired.
Other video games, like Rune Factory 4 and Fire Emblem: Engage, use amnesia as a crutch for exposition, and it’s incredibly lazy writing. To me, this is the amnesia trope at its absolute worst, used when writers can’t think of a better way to develop their world building and convey it to the players. When this trope is run into the ground as often as it is now, it makes the device less effective. Players roll their eyes when a character suffers from amnesia, instead of being invested in their plight and wanting to learn more.
That’s not to say no good examples of the amnesia trope exist. Final Fantasy VI and The World Ends With You serve as positive examples of how to do the trope right. These instances of amnesia are built into the story, world-building, and character development. Amnesia is a tool to delve deeper into a character’s psyche and the world around them. Terra is terrified by who she was before and it ties into her growth, while Neku’s case of amnesia actively serves the plot as he fights for his life.
Even games like Final Fantasy VII explore memory loss and confusion in other ways. Cloud does suffer from amnesia, but not as a result of being knocked out or some other physical altercation. Instead, the amnesia is the result of his emotional trauma and suppression of his real memories, leading him to take on the identity of his hero, Zack. It’s through Tifa’s help in the Lifestream that he remembers who he really is, and more importantly, who he isn’t.
When done right, certain writing tropes can be incredibly powerful and effective, and the amnesia trope is no different. It’s possible for it to be used to great effect, but most of the time, it’s not. Most video games rely on it as a form of exposition dumping, and not as a way to truly invite players into their world through an uncertain lens.
Good examples of the trope exist, but they’re often few and far between. As a result, the amnesia trope is abused and overdone. Unless writers can incorporate the trope into their story in a compelling and interesting way, video games should avoid using the amnesia trope altogether.
What do you think? Do you think the amnesia trope is lazy and overdone, or are there other good examples of the trope out there? Let us know in the comments, or join us on Boss Rush Discord!
Featured Image: Square Enix
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