One of the factors that separate gaming from other popular forms of entertainment like film and book reading is that gaming, generally speaking, puts players in the shoes of the main character. Today, many games expand upon the idea of the player truly being in control of the protagonist by giving them a vast range of choices and decisions to make that will alter the direction of the story. This certainly isn’t a new feature of gaming, as it was the key selling-points of numerous 80s and 90s graphic adventures, but it’s fair to say that the choices in many games today far more expansive than ever before.
Unfortunately, the popularity of decision-making in video games has meant that many developers and publishers have tried to shoehorn decision making into their games, despite the choices having little to no impact on the direction of the story. Thankfully, there are numerous games where decision making isn’t just a gimmick but a key, in-depth feature. The games on this list all offer players a plethora of choices to make in their games, many of which can completely change the direction of the story or a character’s arc.
10 Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain released exclusively on the PlayStation 3 in 2010 and was a pioneer in bringing decision-heavy games back into the mainstream market. Sadly, the game is often dismissed today, as it’s hard to deny that many of its features have aged poorly. It’s worth noting, however, that many of the games that people point to as being superior, likely wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain.
Heavy Rain performed extremely well with critics when it was initially released, exemplified by its impressive Metascore of 87. The game also won numerous awards, including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming from the Interactive Achievement Awards.
9 The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is an episodic graphic adventure based on the comic book series of the same name. Unlike the popular graphic adventures of the 80s and 90s like Grim Fandango and The Secret of Monkey Island, Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead has no puzzles. The game’s lack of puzzles certainly isn’t a drawback, as it puts the entire spotlight on the game’s strongest feature, its narrative.
Much like Heavy Rain, The Walking Dead picked up numerous awards upon release, such as Destructoid’s Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Story from the D.I.C.E. Awards.
8 Dragon Age: Origins
Initially released in 2009 by the AAA team of BioWare and Electronic Arts, Dragon Age: Origins is, as the name suggests, the first entry in the Dragon Age franchise.
The role-playing game was a spiritual successor to BioWare’s critically acclaimed Baldur’s Gate series and features a similar fantasy setting. In terms of decision making, Dragon Age: Origins features a unique approval system. The player’s choices and actions throughout the game will affect the approval rating of companions, which can significantly affect their effectiveness in combat.
7 Fallout: New Vegas
2010’s Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, unlike the 3rd and 4th Fallout games which were developed by Bethesda.
There was little hype around Fallout: New Vegas before its release, as many players thought that the game would simply be a glorified DLC of Fallout 3. The doubters were soon silenced though, as Fallout: New Vegas has since become one of gaming’s most beloved modern RPGs. In many ways, the game was a curse to Fallout 4, as New Vegas‘ incredible freedom of choice made Fallout 4 look almost linear in comparison.
6 Life Is Strange
Similar to the aforementioned The Walking Dead, Dontnod Entertainment’s Life Is Strange is a modern graphic adventure that was released in an episodic format. Unlike Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead though, Life Is Strange implements puzzle-solving into its gameplay.
Dontnod Entertainment picked up an incredible amount of awards for Life is Strange‘s story, including Use Of Narrative from the Develop Industry Excellence Awards, Excellence and Innovation in Digital Storytelling from the Peabody-Facebook Futures of Media Awards, and the BAFTA for Story.
5 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was released in 2015 and put CD Projekt Red on the map as one of the gaming industry’s most esteemed development teams. CD Projekt Red’s game was particularly admired for its visuals, which truly showed off the hardware of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and made owners of high-end PC’s the envy of the gaming industry.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s visuals are just one of its many impressive features, however, as the game is also beloved for the often morally charged decisions that it frequently demands the player to make. The ‘Bloody Baron’ quest is notable for this in particular, and it has become one of gaming’s most memorable side quests.
4 Mass Effect 2
The second BioWare to appear on this list, Mass Effect 2 took the winning formula from the original game and raised it to a whole new level. Similar to the first game, Mass Effect 2 tells an incredible story centered around sci-fi war and politics but it’s the personal relationships developed along the way that are the game’s true narrative.
Mass Effects 2 is remembered in particular for its final mission, commonly known as the Suicide Mission, which has become recognized as one of the finest in gaming history.
3 Detroit: Become Human
BioWare isn’t the only developer to have two games on this list, as Detroit: Become Human was created by Heavy Rain‘s developer Quantic Dream. The sci-fi title was written and directed by David Cage, who spent two years formulating the game’s story.
Detroit: Become Human is another title on this list that unsurprisingly picked up awards for its story, such as Excellence in Narrative from the SXSW Gaming Awards, and the Develop: Star Awards’ Best Narrative accolade.
2 Chrono Trigger
Although this list is predominantly looking at modern titles, it would be an injustice not to mention one of the pioneers of decision-making in RPGs, Square’s Chrono Trigger.
Chrono Trigger was released on the SNES in 1995 and was worked on by some of the gaming industry’s most well-respected RPG creators, such as Yuji Horii and Hironobu Sakaguchi, who created the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series respectively. The choices that players make in Chrono Trigger will give players one of twelve different endings, which was an incredible achievement for the 90s.
1 Alpha Protocol
The final game on this list is another that features a reappearing developer, as Alpha Protocol was created by Fallout: New Vegas‘ Obsidian Entertainment.
The game is certainly not the most critically acclaimed title on this list, exemplified by its lackluster 72 Metascore on PC, but it deserves a spot nonetheless — if decision making is what someone is looking for, then Alpha Protocol is one of the best modern options available. The game has developed a strong cult following over the years, with fans noting how even the smallest of details and decisions can affect the direction of the Alpha Protocol‘s narrative.
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