5. Romance Deliah or Not (Firewatch)

Firewatch is a game whose story has divided a lot of people. Some people find its character-based story to be charming and emotional, while others believe it’s pretentious and has little impact. One of the centerpieces of this divide is Delilah, the ranger in charge who is really the only character you talk to throughout the game..As you might expect, it’s possible to attempt to romance her depending on the choices you make. It makes sense, considering the player character, Henry, is dealing with an incredibly complicated and draining relationship, and Delilah is the only one who can comfort you. But at the end, no matter what you do, the relationship between you and her ends up nowhere. You can pursue her all you want, but you’ll never get her. Though I’m sure several people would rather they just remain friends, those who want Henry and Delilah to get together will end up disappointed.

~Daniel Hein

4. Anger or Appease Ramsay (Telltale Game of Thrones)

Ah Telltale, giving players the illusion of choice through their games of narrative exploration into worlds that people may already love through other mediums. The first episode of Game of Thrones was one I played on whim, but it drew me in quickly. It made me believe my choices matter. Making me stressed with each major choice it offered. When Ramsey Bolton arrived I knew something bad would occur having been a fan of show for sometime already. Still I believed their was a way to pacify the sociopath and turn his favor. Boy, did I try. I replayed the scenario and entire episode multiple times looking to get an outcome that would save the young boy turned Lord of the House, Ethan Forrester. The effort being fruitless. No matter if Ramsey is calmed or angered Ethan will be eliminated. The only result of the effort is whether Ethan is remembered as Brave or a Coward.

~Melissa Buranen

3. Cage or Bird Brooch (BioShock Infinite)

Bioshock, by being such an emotional rollercoaster of a series, you’d expect some pretty big choices from it. In truth, there really is. From the first to third, Bioshock is littered with important decisions that really bring out the feelings of the gamer. Do you protect or dispose of the little sister, whether to throw the ball at Fink or the married couple, the list goes on. One such choice that is rather lacking, however, is the Bird or Cage Brooch toss-up in Infinite. For how much of a big deal that make about the choice of brooch, it hardly matters at all. This is quite a shock to when, all things considered, one would assume that this could have been so much more than just a throw away.

~Ethan Butterfield

2. Tell Truth to Kyoko or Not (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc)

On a scale of decent to brilliant, Japanese visual novel games bring out some truly amazing storytelling that players just don’t see in other titles. With that being said, though, these games also are not immune to bad decisions in the industry. Case and point, the forced choice. In the mystery thriller Danganronpa, you take control of Makoto as you unravel the secrets behind why Hope’s Peak Academy has turned into a Saw film by the antagonist Monokuma. One of your friends during this endeavour is Kyoko Kirigiri, one of the more talented students trapped in the killing game. During a later portion of the story, you are given a choice between telling Kyoko the truth or not telling her out of fear. If you choose to tell her, Danganronpa resets the conversation until you pick ‘No’. Which, given what has followed in terms of plot, isn’t at all what the main character should be doing at that point. Considering that earlier in-game Makoto and Kyoko literally have a discussion about trusting each other, this is just all around lazy design and something that doesn’t help the immersion at all.

~Ethan Butterfield

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