Good Wednesday noon, whoever has stumbled back into this column. It’s the week’s peak again, the perfect time to vent about something. No, don’t question the last sentence, that will only cause headaches. Let’s get straight to the point: There are far too few decisions in games that have real consequences. And when there are consequences, you get a feeling of 17 confirmation screens to really ensure that you are fully aware of the danger.
Canceling consequences – are they still consequences?
But how did I come to criticize this point? After all, this is the time of games with big decisions, such as SWTOR with “Knights of the Fallen Empire”. I can use this as an example. In recent weeks, I have forced myself to start the story chapters of KotFE parallel to a friend. Since it is unfortunately more than annoying to watch the other person’s story, we decided simply to play alongside each other.
In other words: We were together on Skype, playing the chapters simultaneously and discussing the effects of decisions during the fights. I particularly noticed this when you could decide the life or death of a certain character. While I was swept away by a decision, my acquaintance repeatedly canceled the sequence to see the effects each time before deciding.
Too much freedom robs consequences of their effect
Clearly, it is every player’s right to cancel a sequence, make a new decision, and repeat it as many times as they want until they are happy. However, I miss a bit of the thrill of a real decision with a consequence. Something as weighty as the death of a beloved character loses a lot of significance when I can change it at will.
Especially, MMOs often shy away from “fixed decisions,” whether it’s in the story, the choice of talents and specializations, or anything else that might annoy someone because they regret their decision afterward. Single-player games, on the other hand, are bolder and more consistent, such as the Telltale games. Particularly outstanding in this area is Life is Strange – but I’ll get to that in another column.
I personally long for significant decisions that have an irreversible effect. Because only when there are consequences do decisions really matter.
What do you think? Should players always be able to make all decisions again? Or would you appreciate a bit more toughness in the consequences of a choice? Let me know in the comments!
