Overlapping Narratives in The Alliance Alive

The Alliance Alive is a relatively new game, and those who have followed these articles know that its predecessor, The Legend of Legacy, has already been covered because of its unique elements. With a month of content dedicated to narrative elements, there is one particular aspect of The Alliance Alive that stands out in relation to many of its contemporaries- the overlapping narrative that takes place during the first quarter of the game. Although it certainly is not the first Japanese Role-playing game to implement the idea, the game revisits the concept at multiple points and benefits from the concept a great deal.

An overlapping narrative is more than just cutscenes featuring multiple perspectives- many Role-playing games feature scenes and sequences fleshing out antagonists despite having a central party of playable characters. An overlapping narrative is when the playable characters are divided into smaller groups in order to achieve multiple objectives. Though it may be considered a narrative spoiler, the playable cast of The Alliance Alive is revealed over the course of three separate narratives that culminate in the siege of an important structure. These narratives are introduced separately, starting with the most approachable members of the Rain Realm before integrating its secondary characters, then the more unique party members from the Fire Realm, and finally the pivotal members of the Sealed Realm. However, the members of the Rain Realm and Sealed Realm actually intersect in their respective plotlines early on, while the members of the Fire Realm have a lengthy and separate plotline that ends by intersecting with the end of the Rain Realm narrative.

This may sound confusing, but it is presented straightforwardly in the game, and actually isn't the only instance of overlapping narratives. After meeting up, the party continues to split for multiple "strategic" scenarios, which puts the player at a disadvantage- although the maximum party size in battle is five, the player will often have to utilize parties of three or four instead. These may require specific and crucial distributions depending on how much time the player has invested in each respective party member. Some of these engagements have certain parties acting before others depending on the former's success or failure to achieve an objective.

The overlapping narrative is often a somewhat difficult design choice to implement. In many story-driven Role-playing games, the developer might place limitations on what characters are available to each smaller party for narrative purposes. However, the Alliance Alive manages to circumvent this by offering both kinds of scenarios- those that are limited by narrative and those that allow a great deal of freedom within the narrative. Again, it is far from the first game in the genre to implement this technique, but it is a fantastic example of the possibility and variety present within the deliberate design choice. The game does not spread out the formation of the party over thirty to forty hours of new exposition and introductions, but it also enables characters the opportunity to establish relationships via gameplay rather that simply through text. It incentivizes players to flesh out each member's role so that they can be viable later, and helps them weigh the benefits of using or refusing a character in their usual roster.

It can come at a cost, however. While the cast of The Alliance Alive is certainly diverse and starts with a pair of compelling and driven protagonists, the size of the party and the speed at which they are introduced results in a faster pace and multitude of voices from early on in the title. The amount of characters can also lead to limitations in their variety, and of course, if your map cannot accommodate the amount of narratives at play, you may have a bit of trouble on your hands. However, The Alliance Alive manages to dodge most of these pitfalls and stick a clean landing, earning the right to call itself more narrative-focused in comparison with its predecessor. Using and improving on the solid fundamentals established in The Legend of Legacy's combat, this title stands on its own in comparison with other, more recognizable franchises, and could very well be one of the 3DS' finest Role-playing titles.