Choices and their inevitable consequences in video games have become a bit of a hotly sought-after feature, but so rarely are they properly implemented. Typically, a lot of video games, especially RPGs, will just trick you into believing that your choices truly matter, as that is easier and cheaper than actually making them meaningful. It’s understandable why cause and effect isn’t so widespread in single-player narrative-focused titles, as it would take a ridiculous amount of effort and resources to implement not only correctly, but interestingly too. There are too many variables, and it requires a level of freedom near impossible to deliver.
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That is why, when a game actually pulls off meaningful and consequential choices in video games that affect the main story, adverse or otherwise, it is absolutely worth celebrating. There are very few games that go to all the trouble, but the ones that do are undeniably fun to play and leave a lasting impression. From the obvious CRPG everyone immediately thinks of when they want an RPG with impactful choices, to an underrated espionage RPG that I’m pretty certain most people don’t know about, these choice-focused video games are perfect for those who want to have a real say in how their story unfolds.
5. Road 96
Road 96 is a truly underrated indie masterpiece, one that perfectly utilizes its randomly generated runs to enhance its elevated focus on choices and their consequences. You’ll play as not just a singular character, but six distinct teens across a single playthrough. Each teen has the same goal, but how the achieve it will differ, as too will if they accomplish it at all. You’re constantly reminded of what happened to the previous character you were playing as on the map screen, which is just one of the many ways that Road 96 expertly intergrates meaningful choices.
Every action you take will also influence both who the specific character you’re playing as is, and the conclusion of the game’s politically and socially charged narrative. If you’re selfless and help others out, there’s a chance a revolution will break out. Fend for yourself and risk other’s lives and you’ll probably see the country fall to ruin. Its a nuanced story though, and no decision ever feels particularly black and white; so, get ready to mould some truly complex characters and interact with a cast of extremely memorable ones, all of whom will impact your life for better and for worse.
4. Alpha Protocol
You’d be forgiven for not remembering the forgotten spy game, Alpha Protocol, or that Obsidian Entertainment, the folks behind Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, developed it. Yet, despite it having aged rather poorly both visually and when it comes to the majority of its gameplay, Alpha Protocol is easily one of the most choice-heavy games available, and that’s largely thanks to Obsidian’s involvement. This is a spy thriller, so you can expect plenty of high-stakes antics and a nice mystery tying it altogether. What makes it such a standout thriller, however, are the choices you make and the consequences they have.
On a micro level, choices affect how individual missions play out. You may pay off some mecenaries to lure guards away making combat significantly easier, or trick someone into letting you into a restricted area through the game’s branching dialogue trees. Imagine the recent Hitman games but with a greater focus on dialogue. On a macro level, the outcome of each mission and how you dictate Michael Thorton’s role in the overarching narrative affects the game’s ending. Sure, Alpha Protocol may not be the flashiest game by today’s standards, but it is an incredibly ambitious one and absolutely worth playing for the story alone.
3. Fable 2
The Fable series is famous for its focus on choices and consequences, but the second game in the series, which many, myself included, consider to be the best, implemented both significantly more ambitiously. Rather than choices affecting the narrative alone, everything you do has a moral consequence, and those consequences shape the appearance of your character and the world around you. If you commit evil deeds, then the world will become more vile in your image. If you’re a goody two-shoes, then you’ll get the whimsical fantasy landscapes you’d expect.
Fable 2 is a great game beyond its aforementioned choices, which also makes it an easy recommend. However, it is this novel implementation of cause and effect that elevates what would otherwise be a very fun and very British fantasy game. Few games have replicated its world-altering choices since; the only example I can think of is Dishonored, which would be on this list were it not for the steep competition. If you want your decisions to affect more than just the story, then Fable 2 is absolutely the game for you.
2. Detroit: Become Human
Detroit: Become Human may be the quintiessential choice-driven single-player video game ever made. Developed by Quantic Dream, the same folks behind the game where you brush your teeth and scream Shaun a lot, Detroit: Become Human is all about how your choices affect the outcome of not just the immediate scenario, but the overarching narrative as well. There are a whopping 85 different endings in Detroit: Become Human, 40 of which are considered distinct major outcomes that are worth chasing after.
One playthrough will take around 15 hours or so, but if you want to see absolutely every ending the game has to offer, it could take ten times as long. Of course, there’s the option to just replay certain chapters to see all of the outcomes that way, but even then you’ll spend a considerable amount of time replaying Detroit: Become Human. It helps then that the narrative is excellent, its three playable protagonists each as compelling as the last. So long as you don’t mind minimal gameplay, Detroit: Become Human is the ideal story-driven choice-focused video game out there.
1. Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 is undeniably the best game when it comes to meaningful choices that not only matter but have a dramatic effect on the outcome of your entire playthrough. A single playthrough of BG3, which can take upwards of 100 hours, will not only fail to cover everything the game has to offer, but will actively lock you out of certain story beats simply due to the decisions you made as a player. You’ll need to replay BG3 multiple times and experiement with the various character options to do and see everything it has to offer.
Somewhat like Fable 2, practically everything you do has a consequence in Baldur’s Gate 3, narrative-related choice or otherwise. You’ll make tiny little choices in every mission that could net you useful information, helpful items, or meet certain characters all of which may turn up in a later quest. It is ridiculous just how interconnected everything is, and how much consequences matter in Baldur’s Gate 3, but that isn’t terribly surprising considering its D&D roots. All of this is what makes it a must-play fantasy RPG, as, unlike many of its contemporaries, you’re immersed in a way that simply isn’t possible without affording the player such a ridiculous degree of freedom. Baldur’s Gate 3 is the ideal game for players who truly care about their choices mattering by the time the credits roll.
What choice-driven single-player game would you recommend? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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