Spec Ops: The Line
The third-person shooter from 2012 is tough stuff. While it offers quite average action gameplay, the story is much more compelling. In it, we embody Delta Force Captain Martin Walker, who is on a quest with his squad to find the missing Colonel John Konrad.
His name is reminiscent of the writer Joseph Conrad, who wrote the book “Heart of Darkness”. The story of Spec Ops: The Line is oriented around it. Like in the novel or loose film adaptations like Apocalypse Now, the colonel overshadows the entire narrative. He speaks to us over the radio and gives us instructions.
We increasingly feel manipulated by him and commit terrible acts during our journey through the war zone. Yet we continue to follow Konrad’s voice deeper into the sandy heart of Dubai. In the end, we find the colonel, but only his corpse remains. It turns out that we have been hallucinating the entire time. All the crimes we have committed are solely to be blamed on ourselves. It’s a twist that hits hard in the gut.
