Mission Analysis: Unbound (Skyrim)

Mission Purpose

What is the purpose of this mission? What is it designed to do?

This mission is designed to teach the player the basic controls of the game and teach them the core game loop. The mission starts with very little player control as they are introduced to the narrative elements of the world. 

This also engulfs the player into the world of Skyrim before asking them to create their character. The purpose of doing this is to encourage players to create a character that they think belongs in this world and in this story, creating a closer connection between the player’s experience and the story.

The core game loop in Skyrim involves learning about Skyrim’s story from the people the player meets, adventuring through dungeons and accomplishing quests received from those people, and exploring Skyrim’s world to discover more story, quests, and dungeons. 

The player is introduced into this loop through the lack of agency and available input, forcing the player to hear Skyrim’s story, which leads to the narrative focus of this mission: Helgen is attacked by a dragon. This forces the player into accepting their first quest: survive and escape Helgen. 

Meet Tullius and Ulfric

Enter Helgen Keep

Discover Riverwood

Players are introduced to the dungeon part of the game’s loop through Helgen Keep. Helgen Keep slowly introduces players to aspects that will be found throughout Skyrim, and it constantly encourages players’ exploration, which is key to Skyrim’s game loop. 

After escaping Helgen Keep, players follow an NPC to Riverwood. The path to Riverwood encourages exploration through gathering, beautiful sceneries, introducing Guardian Stones, and eventually rewarding the player with a new location brimming with new characters to interact with (which can all trigger Skyrim’s core game loop).

What does this mission introduce; What mechanics, systems, & gameplay concepts are used/presented?

This mission introduces the player to Skyrim’s basic story and some narrative elements. It then uses those narrative elements to teach the player the basic controls and UI that will be used to navigate Skyrim’s world. 

The very first loop in the game teaches players about quests, dungeons, and exploration, but each moment within this mission teaches the player about Skyrim’s depth to these elements. This mission also does a fantastic job teaching the player to explore Skyrim the way they want to.

Mission Start

The first concept that the player is given agency over is themselves. They’ve been listening to a narrative setup provided by Ralof during the player’s cart ride and now they get to create a character they think belongs in this world. Players are then thrust into their first quest: survive. 

Immediately, players see a familiar tutorial teaching them how to move, and they see a familiar NPC, Ralof, with an arrow above his head. This arrow is also seen at the top of the screen, in the compass HUD element. Combined with the narrative elements of a dragon trying to kill the player, they can instinctively understand that these UI icons are connected and mean “go here.”

Left or right?

Players are taught to move, then taught that they can automatically climb stairs by climbing up a tower’s stairwell. Running up this tower also introduces the concept that Skyrim will involve a lot of vertical movement since the player moves vertically almost immediately after a short, horizontal movement. This concept is expanded on when the player learns to jump; players learn that there is a dynamic sense of movement in this game, rather than just walking on flat planes. 

Shortly after learning how to jump, the player’s objective is once again evolved; first from moving around in front of the player to being a jump away, now to being blocked by a wall. This very subtly introduces players to Skyrim’s concept of being able to reach their objective through multiple paths. This concept is further developed when the player is asked to enter Helgen Keep by following either Hadvar or Ralof. 

            Helgen Keep then introduces a massive collection of mechanics that the player will experience throughout their experience with Skyrim. Helgen Keeps begins by teaching the player how to loot and equip items. Combat is then introduced, teaching the player only how to attack and strong attack; the player is only taught how to block if they take damage, giving only the bare minimum information needed at the time to avoid overwhelming the player.

            The concept of looting is then extended to the idea that defeated enemies carry loot. Helgen Keep also introduces mechanics that are frequently found throughout Skyrim, including combat, looting, lockpicking, lore books, stat increases, magic, potions, NPCs assisting in combat, exploration, mini-bosses, and stealth.

What Narrative elements are introduced? What characters? What’s their purpose in the mission?

Hadvar or Ralof?

            When the player starts Skyrim, they’re first introduced to Ralof, a stormcloak, according to Lorik, a thief riding alongside you in this prisoner escort. The player does not speak, and a mysterious third NPC has his mouth gagged, so Lorik serves as a narrative wall for Ralof to bounce exposition off. Lorik explains that the Imperials want to hunt down the stormcloaks and that we shouldn’t be caught up in this, but Ralof, our only representative of the stormcloaks, instead lumps everyone together in a sense of togetherness in everyone’s last moments. 

            Ralof then serves as the PC’s guide throughout Helgen and can serve as their guide all the way to Riverwood if they so choose. Hadvar serves as a more personable, empathetic representative of the Imperials. Hadvar can also serve as the player’s guide should they choose to follow him instead of Ralof.

            The mysterious third NPC is revealed to be Ulfric Stormcloak, the “true high king,” “Jarl of Windhelm,” and the “leader of the rebellion” The player recognizes the term (or, name) Stormcloak, most players recognize the narrative concept of a king and can connect to the term Jarl, and the title “leader of the rebellion” helps shape the Stormcloaks as a rebellious group supporting this Ulfric Stormcloak to rebel against the Imperials.

            Shortly after learning about Ulfric, the driver of the cart calls out to “General Tullius,” whom Ralof scoffs at and calls the “military governor.” Ralof also points out that a representative of the Thalmor is with him. The player hears nothing else about the Thalmor other than Ralof’s disappointment with elves. These three characters serve as representatives of Skyrim’s three main factions, which the player can choose from. After learning about these factions and how they seem to interact with each other, the player gets to create their character with this information fresh in their mind.

Goals/Objectives

How and when do goals and/or objectives change?     

            Make Your Way to the Keep is the first objective of this mission. The goals of this objective are simply communicated by an arrow pointing to where the player needs to go. If the player directly follows their objective, this objective takes about 2 minutes to complete. This objective ends with a player choice: following Ralof or Hadvar into the Helgen Keep.         

            Enter the Keep with Hadvar or Ralof is the next objective. The goal of this objective, like the last, shows an arrow to where the player needs to go. This time, however, there are two different arrows because the player gets to decide which objective they follow. This objective takes as long as it takes the player to decide where to go, but if the player waits for about 3 minutes, the dragon attacking Helgen eats their character. This objective ends with the player entering their first dungeon.      

Escape Helgen is the next objective. During this objective, other objectives appear and take priority, like Looting Gunjar’s body. Except for Loot Gunjar’s Body, these extra objectives (Search Barrel for Potions and Attempt to Pick the Lock) are optional and take about 40 seconds, if the player also searches the area these objectives take place. Escape Helgen as a whole takes about 13 minutes and ends with a beautiful image of Skyrim’s tall mountains, luscious greenery, and blue skies.

The next quest in this mission is called “Before the Storm” and has an objective, “Talk to Gerdur in Riverwood.” This objective is annotated with an arrow that is only visible on the compass, which encourages the player to explore as they make their way to it. Ralof, a familiar NPC, also walks along a path towards the objective; if the player follows Ralof, they learn about Guardian Stones, come across an easy combat encounter, and end up in Riverwood. Following Ralof to Gerdur takes about 6 minutes and ends with getting a new objective that begins another gameplay loop. 

Pacing/Encounters

Briefly Describe Each Encounter

                The first encounter in Skyrim is against two human enemies. One is wearing heavy armor while another wears light armor and an NPC helps the player. This encounter is of very low intensity because it’s the tutorial for fighting. In fact, if the player keeps a short distance, the NPC will fight the two enemies and the player might never get hit. 

                This encounter solely contains melee combat and can have some blocking if the player gets hit. After this encounter, the player can loot the enemies’ bodies the same way they looted a body just before the encounter. This is as a reward for the player and allows some excitement to build up for another encounter so they can play with their new toys.

                Following Ralof, the second encounter features the same number of enemies. This encounter is a slight evolution on the previous one because the player is expected to be leading the way, so enemies immediately aggro them instead of Ralof, which could potentially increase the intensity, depending on how careful the player approaches. No other new elements are seen in this encounter, but engagement is maintained, and the player gets to rest, by looting an entire room with some healing items.

The next encounter offers a unique evolution: a magic user. There is also an additional NPC that helps in the fight, which helps keep the intensity of this fight low, though the introduction of magic greatly increases the engagement with fighting mechanics. After this encounter, engagement is maintained through an evolution of the restful looting that happened prior; now players can attempt to pick locks to gain access to more loot. The next section of the dungeon serves as a transitioning point when engagement starts to rise again.

The next encounter is an evolution and expansion. Now there are four enemies fighting the player, Ralof, and any surviving NPCs. Two enemies are a familiar combo: heavy and light armor, but the other two offer a unique evolution: ranged weaponry. The intensity of this encounter rises to medium due to the new focus on ranged enemies and – potentially – being outnumbered.

                Engagement after this encounter is maintained with a drastic change in environment; the dungeon looks like an actual dungeon now! The Keep has turned into a series of dark caves, trickling water, and loot in skeletons rather than brightly-color barrels. 

                The next encounter is a drastic evolution: human enemies are replaced with giant spiders (Frostbite Spiders, to be exact)! This is also an expansion because there are now five enemies (two of which are larger than the others) and the NPCs helping in the previous encounters are probably dead by now. These elements combine to make the highest intensity encounter in Helgen Keep.

                The player can loot this room for more “monstery” loot, but they only get a rest if they decide to rest in this room before moving on. The final encounter of the dungeon is a massive, sleeping bear. This encounter is very interesting because its intensity can be altered by how the player approaches playing the game, though its maximum intensity is low-medium at most. 

                Players can sneak by the bear for a low-intensity encounter, they can attack it from a distance, bearly remaining a low-intensity encounter, or fight the bear head-on, creating a medium-intensity encounter. There is another encounter if the player follows Ralof, but it’s very low intensity and fills the gap between the Guardian Stones and Riverwood. 

Player Agency

When do you get to make a choice?

Skyrim is filled with player agency. Even during the intro cutscene, the player gets to characterize their character how they please. The PC can’t interact with anything, but they can pay attention to whoever is talking, give a death stare to Ulfric, or barely listen with their focus on the gorgeous environment around them. The very next choice after listening to (or ignoring) this narrative exposition is to create a character, which features a lot of choices that can be made with an introductory knowledge of Skyrim’s lore fresh in the player’s mind.

Minor choices are often made while completing this mission’s objectives, such as deciding to go left or right around a barrier or choosing which of the game’s mechanics, like lockpicking and looting, to spend time on. These minor choices are frequently used in between encounters to keep the player engaged, especially those that prefer the other mechanics over combat. However, the second objective of this mission is to decide between two factions: the Stormcloaks and the Imperials. Though this decision does not lock the player into that faction for the whole game, it does determine who the PC’s guide is for the next objective, and the encounters in Helgen Keep are significantly altered depending on the player’s choice.

What does the mission provide to customize your character and define your “class?”

Skyrim provides a plethora of elements that support a player’s agency. Looting is a huge focus of the game’s tutorial and first dungeon, and players loot a wide variety of weapons, armor, and even spells. After the first encounter, players can decide between light and heavy armor and a light or heavy one-handed weapon. 

The next few encounters give even more options for combat, including two-handed weapons, magic spells, a shield, a bow, and even pure cosmetic changes for one-handed weapons. After Helgen Keep, on the way to Riverwood, the player discovers the Guardian Stones, which can help a player improve in the areas they want to specialize in. The Guardian Stones allow the player to speed up progression in magic, stealth, or combat skills by 20%. This choice isn’t made until after Helgen Keep is completed, so players have had the chance to try these kinds of skills. 

Cinematics/Compositions

Describe any cinematics or scripted events

                Skyrim’s most well-known cinematic is the introduction to the game. The player can somewhat interact with the expositional cutscene that occurs as they ride into Helgen by moving their camera around and listening to the characters or ignoring them in favor of the environment. This is clearly a cinematic chance for Skyrim to show off its environment and try and force the player to learn the narrative before creating a character. 

                The following scripted event involves a dragon inadvertently saving the PC’s life by attacking Helgen. The closest the player gets to interacting with this event is being able to stand in puddles of fire that damage them. This is a scripted event that occurs in gameplay. 

                The last scripted event in Helgen is an interaction between Ralof, who has been acting as a guide and narrator for the player, arguing with Hadvar, who also acted as the player’s guide during the latter half of the first objective. This scripted event has the most player interactivity and prompts the player to choose between the two major factions introduced so far.

What’s the environment?

                In the introductory sequence, Skryim’s environment is bright and colorful, though the skies are filled with clouds and the air is rampant with threatening fog. This environment sparks a magical and hopeful curiosity but also warns of impending danger. Tall, gray towers and mountains loom over the character as they await their beheading, creating a trapped feeling intensified by Lorik’s failed escape attempt. 

                As the dragon attacks Helgen, the sky turns from a vibrant blue to a deep, terrible gray as the clouds swirl around like a hurricane of death and fire rains from the sky. Urging the player through the tutorial, this environment hurries the player away, out of fear of death. Since the dragon attacks, Helgen is burned to the ground and remains that way. 

                The interior of Helgen Keep is quiet and serves as a reprieve from the destruction happening outside. This environment serves as a rest from the dangers of a dragon but also begins to set the stage for the adventure the player will go on. As the player progresses, Helgen Keep shifts into an actual dungeon, complete with rock walls, dried skeletons, calming water, and terrifying monsters. The dragon attack feels like a somehow distant memory, and a glimpse of adventure aside from dragons and humans appears. 

                Escaping Helgen Keep reveals a beautiful environment, filled with clear, blue skies, luscious greenery, and tall, gray mountains highlighting all of it. This is the beautiful world of Skyrim, and the player gets to start exploring it.

Are there any composed shots?              

Dragons > Imperials > Prisoners

There are many composed shots throughout Skyrim, but my favorite is this shot, which can be seen right after the introductory cutscene and character creation. The entire narrative up to this point has been focused on the humans of the world; the Imperials fighting against the rebellious Stormcloaks; citizens of Skyrim siding with one or the other in a desire for peace and comfort or the desire for the rightful ruler to take his place. 

All this conflict has led to the start of the game. The PC’s life is about to come to an end because of this conflict that they never knew existed. The PC is effectively a level 0 adventurer and is powerless against the might of the Empire. This shot is built up to make that clearly known; the Imperials will squash you like a bug, just look at how one of their lowly headsman towers above you, nothing can compare to the might of the Imperials. 

Nothing except a giant, spikey, badass dragon. Just by landing, this dragon shakes the towering power of the Imperials to its core. The Imperials forget about the lowly PC and focus on trying not to die from the dragon’s might. I think the designers’ intention behind this introduction and this shot is to make the player feel what I described and show them the power that they can rise to in this game. 

Here's some extra space in case you're weird like me and like reading text at the top of your screen!