Baykar Demir (Istanbul University)
Inkulunati and Tails of Iron, despite their distinct game genres, share a reliance on the visual allure of medieval illustrations in their art direction. This paper explores the roots of inspiration behind both games’ development, probing how they depict themes of conflict and alliance. Through an examination of their art direction and thematic components, we aim to unravel how medieval illustrations find resonance in contemporary video games.
We will begin by scrutinising how Inkulinati and Tails of Iron translate medieval manuscript illustrations into the game’s visual language. While both draw from medieval manuscripts, nuanced disparities in their visual languages warrant attention.Inkulunati finds inspiration in two 14th-century manuscripts, Bréviaire de Renaud de Bar[1] and Smithfield Decretals manuscript[2] for its visual aesthetics and character designs. The iconic image from the Smithfield Decretals manuscript (fig.1) of a spear-wielding rabbit hanging a dog by its neck from a tree encapsulates the game’s theme of animal conflicts, with approximately fifty creature designs in total.[3] (fig. 2-3, fig. for in-game visuals fig. 4).
Unlike Inkulinati, Tails of Iron paints a vast world and diverse locales, crafting its own distinct style inspired by medieval miniaturism rather than directly referencing manuscripts. Battle scenes reminiscent of the Morgan Bible, the vibrant colour palette of the Codex Manesse, and the environmental designs of the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry manuscript come to life in Tails of Iron. (In-game image fig.5)
Both games draw from fables, with Tails of Iron depicting the historical conflict between rats and frogs. Prince Redgi, son of the slain king, unites the remaining rats and gathers alliances with moles and turtles to reclaim their kingdom from the ravaging frogs. Meanwhile, Inkulinati follows the struggle of 15th-century European illustrators, known as the “Inkulinati”, who wield magic inks to bring their drawings to life in warfare. As conflicts unfold between Inkulinati and their created armies, player interaction with NPCs shapes a cooperation. Mechanics such as healing creatures and references to medieval phenomena like the bestiary cleverly enrich the gameplay. Christian literature concepts further deepen the game’s narrative, events like “Hell’s Maw”[4] and “Danse Macabre”[5], “Blasphemous” mirroring medieval terms.
While both games share roots in medieval miniaturism and fable narratives, Tails of Iron carves out its mythos, presenting a historical rendition of conflicts and alliances between rat and frog kingdoms in a side-scrolling action format akin to souls-like combats. In contrast, Inkulinati adopts a more constrained narrative built on a deck-building system. Nonetheless, its judicious use of medieval religious literature enriches the medieval experience specially build on conflict between the created creatures by Inkulinatis.
Bibliography
Camille, Michael. Image on the Edge: The Margins of Medieval Art. London: Reaktion Books, 1992. s.142
Ross, Leslie, Medieval Art a Topical Dictionary, Greenwood Press, 1996, London, s. 18-19.
Scott, Miriam van,. The Encyclopedia of Hell. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 1999.
Wormald, F., “The Yates Thompson Manuscripts,” The British Museum Quarterly 16, no. 1 (Jan., 1951): s.4-6.
Ludography
Inkulinati, Yaza Games, 2024
Tails of Iron, Odd Bug Studio, 2021
Online Reference
[1] For detailed information on the manuscript: F. Wormald, “The Yates Thompson Manuscripts,” The British Museum Quarterly 16, no. 1 (Jan., 1951): p.4-6.
[2] For detailed information on the manuscript: Camille, Michael. Image on the Edge: The Margins of Medieval Art. London: Reaktion Books, 1992. s.142.
[3] https://www.medievalists.net/2024/02/inkulinati/
[4] For detailed information: Miriam Van Scott,. The Encyclopedia of Hell. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 1999
[5] For detailed information: Medieval Art a Topical Dictionary, Greenwood Press, 1996, London, s. 63.
Thanks for the paper, Baykar.
One thing that comes to mind looking at the games’ references is how famous some of these manuscripts are. The Morgan Bible and the Berry book of hours, in particular, are reproduced everywhere; even history textbooks usually draw from them.
Are you aware of any studies that attempted to trace (and explain) the reproduction history of these manuscripts in contemporary media?
Personally, I have never come across a comprehensive study specifically for contemporary media, although as you know academic studies on a single game have tried to fill this gap. In fact, such a comprehensive study would be very inspiring, especially for video games.
Thanks for this Baykar – could you say anything more about the mechanics you mention which are tied to these medieval themes and imagery? For example, do the mechanics of the ‘Danse Macabre’ fit with the medieval concept? Or is it just a cool name to use on a card?
Thank you for your question, which actually gives me the opportunity to share the details that are in my full paper. Inkulinati has produced a relatively rich selection of mechanical works inspired by medieval religious literature. One notable example is Danse Macabre. Historically, Danse Macabre emerged as a reflection of the fear of death and, in a reverse reading, the hope for death, which was a result of frequent encounters with death, especially since the mid-fifteenth century due to the plague. Visually, it is often depicted in art history with compositions showing groups of people and skeletons dancing together.
In Inkulinati, the Danse Macabre mechanic is designed specifically for the skeleton class. When triggered, the enemy unit begins to move randomly across the battlefield as if dancing.
Another noteworthy mechanic is Hell’s Maw, which carries demonic connotations as depicted in early manuscripts such as the Winchester Psalter. Hell’s Maw is characterized by a prominent mouth and an exaggerated head with deformed features. In the game, it appears suddenly on the battlefield and destroys the unit in front of it at the end of the turn. However, if the unit is of the demon class, it remains unharmed. From an art historical perspective, it can be said that not only religious literature but also medieval divinities and Renaissance paintings influenced the design of this mechanic. Hell’s Maw swallows both humans and demons in front of it, but it only harms the humans, while the demons are merely displaced between earth and hell.
Bestiary, Apocalypse and some other mechanics are also common concepts in medieval literature that affect gameplay.
Thanks Baykar! That’s really cool – it’s always great to see games which link their theme and mechanics so firmly like this.