Summary
Some video game designers go by the philosophy that the world needs to react to everything the player does. Not every RPG necessarily goes by this and puts the player on a predetermined path through a narrative. Some of the games below still do this, but at the very least players get to see the game world around them change as they go through the story.
Even if these changes are not the result of the player’s decisions, it is still great to see all the work the developers put into showing a physical change in the world around the characters.
Baldur’s Gate 3set a new standard when it comes to narrative-driven RPGs. Only the most obsessive and dedicated player could possibly see everything there is to see in it.The game is split into three actsand players do not have to wait until the end to see the impact of their decisions. Some major points where the plot diverges are felt almost immediately.
Players can save or doom a certain settlement, which changes the map at the snap of a finger while also having ramifications later on in the game.
Playing the game with other people, either locally or online, creates even more opportunities for unexpected, world-changing shenanigans.
The move to first-person forFallout 3brought the series to a new audience but many longtime fans felt it lacked some ofwhat madeFalloutso special.New Vegasremedied this by having a more interactive world and quests that had a bigger impact on the environment along with multiple variations for its ending.
There is also more moral ambiguity within its story and subplots. Deciding which faction to side with towards the end of the game is a particularly beefy decision that carries a lot of weight.
This is not to say that Fallout 3 has no impactful decisions. An early quest allows players to nuke an entire town out of existence or save it from annihilation.
In the opening hours ofMega Man Legends, the Bonns come and try to destroy Kattelox City, a location that acts as the game’s hub. Depending on how players defend the town in this sequence determines how damaged it becomes.
Throughout the game players need to help rebuild it mostly through financial donations. As the game progresses and players go through the main story, the town is slowly rebuilt and more NPCs become available for interactions.They even offer potential side quests.It is a fascinatingly deep mechanic for a PlayStation game.
Reaching the credits once inUndertaleis not really beating it. Players are encouraged to beat the game without killing an enemy to see the true ending.
However, there is another playthrough to do afterward that entails killing every enemy possible. This ending almost punishes the player for doing it, and every playthrough afterward is changed in some way.
It is almost a reminder of the bad deed the player did. It plays into the game’s theme about how violence is generally the first solution people think of in the medium.
Fable 2had a deep karma system before it was a regular mechanic in almost every RPG. The game world is dynamic and allows players to interact with it in a variety of ways.
Actions like buying property even have an impact on the town’s local economy. Many quests also change certain parts of the world. Designer Peter Monelyeux is infamous for making promises the released games rarely live up to,but there is still a lot inFable 2to impress gamers, even by today’s standards.
Where so many RPGs are about taking players on a physical journey through a grand world,Persona 5puts players in one place throughout a school year.
The entire game is based on going to school each day and following the story through this rigid calendar structure. Because of this, it is possible to miss dialogue and moments that only appear on a certain day or season. In addition to the bigger changes like watching the seasons, there are nuances most players might not even notice.
Persona 5is also absurdly long, clocking out at about 100 hours. It is not necessarily a con of the experience, but it is something players should know before jumping in.
The main feature ofDark Cloudis finding items in dungeons and the world to slowly rebuild your destroyed village, Norune. It is not just aesthetics, either. Townspeople start repopulating the village and players can speak with them, making the area progressively feel more alive as time goes on. Players are also given some creative freedom in assembling the village, so every play will have a different experience.
The combat featuresmore real-time mechanics than what most expect from Japanese RPGs, and weapons level up instead of the character, so it offers something fresh aside from rebuilding the town.
