WARNING: This post contains spoilers, so please play the game first before reading!
The middle of a story is crucial to maximize the impact of a story. It also lays out the foundation of the story's second half.
This beat is known as the midpoint. The event of this beat is either a “false victory” or a “false defeat”. It’s false because the story isn’t done at the midpoint, but it can feel that way. That is to say, the hero might feel that he’s gotten what he’s wanted in a false victory (but the truth is, he hasn’t gotten what he needs!) or that he’s lost what he wanted in a false defeat (but the truth is, it’s never as bad as how it will be in a future beat known as the All is Lost beat).
Essentially, it’s not as good as he thinks it is (false victory) and it’s not as bad as it could be (false defeat).
This beat also marks a shift from the hero’s wants to needs. The journey so far has been about the hero’s want, and the focus will now shift to what the hero needs (or the lesson he needs to learn). The simplest example of this is in romance stories—the midpoint is where the hero and heroine kiss or make love.
Midpoints are also usually (but not always) public affairs. Think big parties. I’m thinking about the Golden Age Arc in the Berserk manga (spoilers ahead!!) where the Band of the Hawk end the Hundred-Year War, return home as victors, and, at a banquet, Griffith is poisoned. What happens after that? A lot of terrible things for Gutts, which then leads him to leave the Band of the Hawk because he’s shifted from his want (proving himself as a fighter to everyone around him) to the lesson he needs to learn (struggling to stand on his own and finding his purpose).
In Elohim Eternal, the midpoint is where Joshwa and company climb Mount Tsaphon and face off with the guardian, Quetzalcoatl. It is here that Joshwa’s want (reach Ur to get information on the Babel Code) shifts to Joshwa’s need (he starts questioning his faith, which leads him to the capital “T” Truth).
In the Fun and Games beat (leading up to the midpoint), there were hints that something wasn’t right about the Kosmokraters, Hosanna, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the worlds they, supposedly, created. And then of course, there’s those mysterious figures of light that appear and speak to Joshwa. These doubts start to take center stage, illuminating the shift from Joshwa’s wants to his needs. He still wants the Babel Code and he’ll eventually obtain it, but even its use and purpose will shift for him.
And that’s the midpoint beat.
We are halfway through the story beats in Elohim Eternal. Next time we’ll talk about the Bad Guys Close In beat.
