It could indeed, but I feel deconstructions and subversions on that style are very common already (at least in literature since certain big author with schedule problems made a very bad critique towards an older series) and in most cases don’t actually feel smart but rather unromantic, cynical and even nihilistic. Of course we have stuff like Heroes of Myth that do manage to twist a typical story on its head and still have a very meaningful adventure, but sadly those feel like an exception.
3 Likes
Who are you talking about? There’s several that fit the bill.
Ah, I see. Thanks very much.
GRRM of course, his old comment about Aragorn and orc babies.
1 Like
I was around in the 80s so I really miss that CYOA style of finding 20 interesting different ways to kill you for making the wrong decision over the course of the story.
4 Likes
Yes, so true!
I have straight up given up on a game because restarting would take hours to get back to my original point.
2 Likes
Hmm, I always like more character-driven works than extreme branching, since I find that the latter tends to have weaker writing. If they can pull off both, though, that’s great.
Personally, I would really enjoy seeing more light-hearted, slice-of-life stories, or at least stories with those SoL moments. Stories where you’re in school also somehow scratch a particular itch. On the other hand, I’d also enjoy seeing stories with a lot more darker and “problematic” themes, although I think it’s tough to do, since it might become too miserable and angsty, or too edgy. Also, I like playing as a kid/teen in games. I mean, it can get a little cringe at times, but I guess I just really like coming-of-age stories in general.
5 Likes
I prefer non-customisable ROs. Also, a separate platonic/romantic relationship bar is quite interesting.
8 Likes
Customisable RO throw me off too tbh, makes me feel shallow for nitpicking their features. Also makes them feel less of a natural character to the story
5 Likes
I find customizable ROs pretty strange, unless its a specific kind of story. It feels fitting for the World’s Strongest Writer for example (since the RO is literally an imagined ideal RO for the main character) but other than that?
If the RO is supposed to be a complete person with their own unique identity, then it would not make sense to me for me to see them as an amorphous blob without physical characteristics until I ascribe those traits to them.
7 Likes
This point exactly
2 Likes
Talking to other characters about… yourself. Or more specifically, the MC.
Other RPG games always threw me off when its usual flavor text dialogue choices suddenly asked you about your character. What did the Dragonborn do before they were caught crossing the border? Did Courier 6 have a child?
It adds to the immersion, and also could be a good way to personally connect with other characters.
5 Likes
I’d like to see another Ninja game, it’s been a long time since we got any.
I would like to see more separation from our characters personality stats, and their reactions to an RO.
For example, as somebody who reacts mostly “shy” to romantic advances, I’m always guttered when I take a hit to the charming/bold/confident stat because I’m more comfortable reading the perspective of a romantically introverted character, rather than a Casanova who pulls me out of the story. This especially saddens me if charm isn’t just a “personality” stat, and is instead a major one that is used to pass checks.
6 Likes
I had to nix personality stats for the most part because of the variation in my game already, but I think I have a general preference for just keeping everything open and instead focusing on skill stats or the like.
I do think that it is exceptionally bizarre if romantic responses are factored into a character’s charisma, particularly when charisma is often paired with stoicism or the like where it wouldn’t even really fit. I personally took the boat of 'it’s better to remember a specific choice rather than the general trend, and to call back to those choices and use a few stats to track the general nature of your choices in the background.
3 Likes
I want to be able to conquer stuff. Like, to fight in a war and seize the land.
1 Like
More alien and robot/android/holographic AI romances in sci fi games.
More games with time travel (the dream is something inspired by Doctor Who really).
Romance games with older characters (20’s to 40’s rather than teenagers more often).
Games like Love at Elevation set in a specific location or distinctive historical time period. (Romance optional)
7 Likes
I would LOVE this, but I’m not sure how it would work
1 Like
Depends on the writing but a game that allows you to have a working time machine and move between a selection of locations both historic and futuristic would be fun. With a mix of native character and fellow time travellers.
I don’t know if anyone else here has played Shadow of Memories or Shadow of Destiny on PS2 but a game like that where you are solving your own murder over and over could work (that game had some great picks for time periods depending on the chapter with a few hours or a day earlier, the 70’s/80’s, the beginning of the 20th Century in 1901 and the Renaissance era in the 1580’s).
I would love to see a game set in a school, (doesn’t matter if it’s a real school, a magical one, a space cadet school or anything of the sort) where the MC isn’t a student but a teacher.
3 Likes
2 Likes