PRIDE 2020: Review | The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories
Created by the twisted mind behind Deadly Premonition; The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories was a criminally overlooked puzzle-platformer released in the latter half of 2018, tailor made for fans of body horror and those bone crunching sound effects that are way too realistic. The pain and suffering that guides protagonist J.J combines impactful physical and mental journeys, with LGBT+ themes creeping into the game right at the very end. Critiquing The Missing's themes will involve the scariest thing of all, spoilers, but I'll make sure to give plenty of warning beforehand.
For those unaware of Japanese game directors, Hidetaka Suehiro (self-identifying as SWERY) has provided the medium with some of the most bizarre experiences during his time at Access Games, in charge of projects that either went under the radar or had a mixed reception. Unlike the majority of low budget studios, Access was willing to take a chance on artistic projects which may not recoup development costs. Utilising the monetary boundaries, SWERY gained a cult following by releasing a visceral horror game that was both praised and criticized for its stilted animations and clunky controls.
In November 2015, SWERY was hospitalised due to unstable blood sugar levels, causing all of his projects to be put on hold, including D4’s second chapter. After his lengthy recovery, a far bigger project was underway, shifting development to an indie studio called White Owls, an intimate 9 person team that eventually launched The Missing.
To put it simply, The Missing is a cinematic platformer, a genre that was popular in the 90s with titles such as Oddworld and Flashback, with a relatively recent resurgence due to the success of Playdead’s Limbo, intrinsically linking horror with story based platformers for the foreseeable future. The Missing differentiates itself with a unique mechanic involving amputation and decapitation, using individual parts of the body to solve puzzles and traverse environmental hazards. Whilst other games may have touched upon this idea, The Missing embraces visceral elements to make the act of mutilation feel painful.
This brutality angle seemed a little squeamish for some developers at White Owls, but upon refining this idea and building a narrative around coming to terms with pain; pitching the idea to publisher Arc System Works was surprisingly easy. The resulting game felt rather stylised and tasteful in its depiction of decapitation rather than the realistic approach that studios such as Naughty Dog and NetherRealm take, which reportedly involves liveleak hanging videos. Whilst The Missing succeeds in sympathising with a painstricken protagonist, SWERY’s brand of bizarre imagery shows off an artistic flair for the dark arts, making each scene feel intriguing.
It may come as no surprise to fans of SWERY that The Missing is a little rough around the edges, to some fans it may add to the strange charm of his work, but janky platforming and obscure puzzle solutions feel a bit out of place in a linear experience, and not at all incidental. The artistic direction is a little muddied due to uneven texture quality and object clipping happens a little too often, however, many of these issues seem inevitable when developing a unique experience with such a small team, and is easily worth putting up with to experience an LGBT story like no other.
~Spoilers incoming for The Missing and Deadly Premonition incoming~
Conceptual platforming challenges allows players to witness, and, to an extent, feel the visceral, personal feelings regarding gender dysphoria. The most effective chapter in my opinion involves a building site, where getting hit in the head by a wrecking ball, causes nausea, portrayed with purposely sluggish controls. Alongside this, the world will literally turn upside down. Smaller design choices also add to this theme; creatures with chainsaw arms hint at a fear regarding body modifications, walking through fire refers to the bible verse Isaiah 43, and how a strong belief can overcome any obstacle.
However, The Missing’s narrative is, for the most part. presented through text messages to protagonist JJ Macfield from a variety of characters. Personal topics such as trauma, transformation and suicidal thought are discussed through conversation in JJ’s phonebook, containing a handful of classmates, friends and adults all with their own moral philosophies regarding the stages of gender dysphoria.
Within a conceptual world formed in the headspace of a suffering individual, these reactions end up being the most emotional part of The Missing. Some of my favourite characters include Professor Goodman - a teacher that represents interested outsiders, Emily - A best friend that moved away when life became difficult, Abby - a radical carefree classmate that JJ is secretly jealous of, and Lily - A classmate showing sexual attraction in regards to identity.
Some of these messages can be hard to read, JJ reassuring Emily that she is a bad person, a conversation with Goodman regarding solitude and Abby’s anxiety advice... I’ve been in similar positions, some of these words felt incredibly personal, and despite being emotionally distant, I did cry a couple of times.
With such a variety of topics, it's likely that any trans individual will connect with at least one of these stories. I’m sure most people will be able to sympathise with some of these feelings, however, the most impactful character has been JJ’s mum. Whilst I’m in a fortunate position to have (mostly) supportive parents, reading the messages sent by JJ’s conservative, overprotective mother has made me appreciate the traumatic fight that many have to face.
To achieve this realistic simulation, SWERY mentions that the warning highlighted on The Missing’s opening screen; “this title was made with the belief that no one is wrong for what they are”, refers to the White Owl’s design mantra and how they were able to strike multiple conversations surrounding societal issues. Once the climax has concluded, it’s worth playing a second time round to appreciate the order of events in regards to a tortured soul going through both psychological and physical pains regarding gender dysphoria.
This is not the first time a Swery-led project has tackled the issue of transgenderism. Deadly Premonition had a trans character who was suffering from psychosis, leading some fans to speculate that the character’s unstable mental condition was linked to feelings of gender dysphoria, which left a negative impression. The lack of trans characters within media causes concern on this matter, with fear surrounding enemies who identify outside of gender norms, as an introduction to characters in this light can lead to harmful assumptions in a community where acceptance and approachability is a constant struggle.
The Missing, whether intentional or not, addresses this controversy with that core message. SWERY has stated that the representation of the character in Deadly Premonition also follows these guidelines, there may be naivety regarding injustice in the trans community, but creative exploration of the human condition is a welcoming sight from a team that genuinely cares.
Working alongside LGBT people in this project and going through extreme body pains himself, Swery has translated the mental anguish caused by recovery to a game that has the ability to speak to everyone. Despite starting life as an idea that was too squeamish for the development team, The Missing portrays a mature narrative through visual storytelling that just about connects with a general audience. An outside perspective on delicate issues can feel disingenuous and distract from artistic intent, but it's important to realise that, under the right circumstances, messages need a translator to reach the public in an impactful manner.
