Narrative architecture and verticality
fight in order to pass through. The use of underground architecture for subversive action is established on Pirate Isle, where all buildings and objects that relate to piratical activity are located in a secret underground base.
This equation of height with power lends itself to a reading of Arcadia’s architecture as panoptic. In some ways this is true. Valua features many electric searchlights that glare down on the characters from above, at one stage in the game actually posing a real threat as being caught in the searchlight generates a battle with a set of deceptively powerful robots. The sixth civilisation’s location in `upper sky' above the rest of the world is reflective of their aloofness and ultimate power to destroy the rest of the world in an instant if they see fit.
However, both in terms of the storyline and the game’s artificial intelligence, there is actually nobody behind the searchlight watching the characters. They are able to spend the whole game travelling the world freely, and when they do run into Valua they fight ship to ship as equals. A great deal of the power held by the enemy forces is not a result of their height, but of their technological power. So while architectural height does contribute to an awareness of control and aggression, this is only in conjunction with the theme of techology, weaponsiation and geographical power]]>