Daniel vs Mandus

[Jim]

Do I need to mark spoilers here? Oh well, just to be safe...

*SPOILERS*

For my money, it's Daniel, hands down. But, I don't think there is an objective answer because the two different characters are designed for two different narratives, and each is well suited for their own story.


Daniel:
Yes, Daniel was a selfish coward, but that's exactly what makes him so perfect. He did a lot of horrible things, but he doesn't know that when you start the game (and, by proxy, neither do you). Daniel was, initially, an empty vessel that you could pour yourself into. You can see this further illustrated by the fact that Daniel's family is mostly absent from the story, and his background it isn't fleshed out very much. He's not underdeveloped, he's meant to be easily identifiable. (At least I think that was their intent.)

I liked the experience of TDD much more. I identified with Daniel a lot because there was just enough of him to latch onto, but he wasn't developed enough to clearly separate you from his first-person self. I WAS Daniel. I did all of the horrible things because I was desperate, and it made me sick to my stomach when I found out. A very powerful, effective story for me. Some people like to say "Well, I wouldn't act so selfishly out of self preservation," but there's no way you could know that. Not for sure. According to TDD, you did. And our initial unwillingness to accept the possibility that we would do the same in Daniel's spot only makes the realization more potent. For me, anyway.

Another thing to consider is that, as with Mandus, there are two Daniels. The former Daniel died with the Amnesia potion, giving birth to a new Daniel. He even talks to you as if you're a separate entity in the letter at the beginning of the game. This new Daniel is a very complicated character, even though he isn't "fleshed out". The creation of this new man offers Daniel (you) hope of a possible redemption. (Or at least revenge. The choice is left to you.) However, even if you are a new man, there's an inescapable weight of inherited guilt that makes the situation beautifully convoluted. Even if you see Daniel as despicable, he's a great character.

Mandus:
Mandus, on the other hand, still suffers from an amnesia (or possibly more accurately, schizophrenia?) that allows a sense of mystery in the story, but is a more fleshed out character. We see evidence of Mandus's life all around us. Waking to the call of his children, occasionally hearing conversations between him and characters the player doesn't know first-hand, walking around this huge estate that's owned by him the whole game, and other elements acknowledge that Mandus has an existence outside of the game. This fleshes out the character more, making it harder to BE Mandus, but also giving Mandus's observer (you) more to chew on. (While in TDD, I'd say you were really being forced to chew on parts of yourself.)

This is also reflected in the game design. The large hubs and "true" exploration that were common in the first game have been stripped to a bare minimum, creating a guided, "on-rails" experience. It's tighter, it's shinier, and it's more lush, but it's also impenetrable. I didn't feel like I was IN the situations at all, I felt very strongly like I was being told about them secondhand. And combined with that fact, the general vagueness of the storytelling was absolutely grating. Having a more defined protagonist, but a less defined story felt very dissonant to me.

I'm still processing AMFP, so I have less to say about Mandus. I'm not saying I dislike the game, it just doesn't use the same kind of storytelling TDD did, and that was my favorite part of TDD. I'm about to start my second playthrough, so I may have more to say in a day or two.

(Who knows, maybe there IS a solid story in there somewhere and noone has worked it out yet.)

If anyone actually reads this, I'd love to hear any comments or refutations you may have. I love hearing other people's explanations of these games.

Philip Lafresque, hands down.

Yes, I liked Philip as a character a lot. I don't have the energy to think about why. Another day, another thread.

Edit: Thanks for the feedback, and for the rep, Diz!