Opinion: When choice becomes a metric, narrative design suffers
Opinion: When choice becomes a metric, narrative design suffers
Opinion: When choice becomes a metric, narrative design suffers
By Nicholas O'Brien
March 09, 2021
Summary
Although The Last Survey does indeed have choices that affect the gameplay and soundtrack, this doesn't inherently qualify as what some consider a "Choices-matter" title.
For the sake of setting a definition of a choices matter game, here's my view: Games intended to fit within this subgenre don't only involve branching narratives based on player interaction, they also communicate how those choices affect gameplay in real-time.
The popular Walking Dead games developed by TellTale would show players the consequence of their choices in the upper right-hand corner.
"Clementine will remember that" indicates to the audience that their recent choice might have pivotal narrative outcomes.
Ironically, "Choices matter" games attempt to leverage players choices by magnifying their actions, but I'd argue that this design results in the opposite effect.
In The Last Survey, you play as a geologist returning from a year-long global survey of rare-earth mining operations for a Brazil-based magnate.
The ensuing conversation contains moments where the player is asked to choose between two options, uncertain of how your interlocutor will respond.
The process of writing The Last Survey started in Twine, with the original designs being much more "Choice-heavy;" veritably every other screen was a moment for the player to choose a dialog option or to examine a detail of your report.
To avoid these concerns, I scaled back player-choice and made the writing much more of an internal monologue; crafting the geologist with a self-reflective tone, leading way to questions of the players own culpability within capitalism.
Though the choices became sparser, their impact was more meaningful for the narrative design I wanted.
Reference
O'Brien, N. (2021, March 09). Opinion: When choice becomes a metric, narrative design suffers. Retrieved June 11, 2021, from https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/378193/Opinion_When_choice_becomes_a_metric_narrative_design_suffers.php?elq_mid=102578&elq_cid=28177740