"He's the opposite of a cipher-a complicated, nuanced character"

Enjoying a Metroidvania hero with a sense of himself in NINE SOLS

- By ROBIN VALENTINE

As the influence of Dark Souls has swept across the indie gaming scene like a tidal wave, one of its most noticeable effects has been a glut of cipher protagonists. These heroes are mute, mysterious, and usually amnesiac—and often not even a person at all, but rather some kind of construct or undead.

It's an easy setup for Soulslikes and Metroidvanias—as you explore an unknown world and piece together its history, dangers, and mechanics, your silent avatar is as clueless as you are. Or if they do know more, they can't say. There's no need to frontload the game with character backstory or narrative setup. You wake up in the dark in some horrible, sprawling labyrinth, and you're ready to go. It worked for Hollow Knight, it worked for Dead Cells. But, there is another way...