History Main / StoryBranchFavoritism

* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' features this with one of then endings. [[spoiler:If you sacrifice Chloe, they (maybe) get TheBigDamnKiss, and the player is presented to a touching, mournful, and emotional slideshow and funeral scene showing the aftermath of Chloe's death and ending on a very slightly hopeful note. If you choose to Sacrifice Arcadia Bay, Max and Chloe watch as the tornado destroys the town, they drive through it and exit to parts unknown, and that's it - it's much shorter in content, and it doesn't tell players anything about who survived the storm. WordOfGod says that the ambiguity about who survived and where Max and Chloe go next is intentional, and it's up to the players to decide those things for themselves. They have also said that the finale episode was made on a more limited budget and so they had to choose an ending to focus the majority of their time and money on.]]

** ''[[VideoGame/SilentHill4 Silent Hill 4: The Room]]''’s "'''21 Sacraments'''" ending is unequivocally a DownerEnding…but by Samael, is it ''easily'' the [[ItsAWonderfulFailure most interesting]] of the four, as well as the longest and the one that best fits the game's overall tone. [[spoiler:The ending can be achieved if the player neither cleanses at least a fifth of Room 302's hauntings, nor finishes the final boss fight in time to save a possessed Eileen from [[UnflinchingWalk walking to her death]] (at which she quickly succeeds if the player performed terribly at an [[TooDumbToLive equally]] [[ArtificialStupidity terrible]] [[EscortMission escort mission]]). It starts with Walter [[FauxDeath faking the dramatic death scene]] standard to all four endings (including the hushed [[IWantMyMommy cry for "Mom"]] as he reaches out to her). However, instead of the normally ensuing earthquake -- no, wait, ''[[WorldSundering dream]]''[[WorldSundering quake?]] -- Henry's [[ImHavingSoulPains convenient debilitating headaches]] return [[UpToEleven at full blast]]…only for his misery to suddenly and suspiciously end. Henry stands up to fathom the [[BeautifulVoid vast nothingness]] around him. Back in the real world, both manifestations of Walter's spirit have entered Room 302; and while little Walter is off [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas hugging the furniture]], adult Walter just stands there, left to wonder…''[[AllThatGlitters Is this it?]]'' In the background of the [[ImmortalityHurts disappointment of this eternity]], a radio news anchor confirms the deaths of Eileen and Henry; announces that Frank the superintendent has also been found dead; and adds that all surviving tenants of the South Ashfield Heights apartment complex have been rushed to the hospital, complaining of [[ImHavingSoulPains severe chest pains]]—just like [[WhenItAllBegan ten years ago]].]] Contrast the other three endings, in which either [[spoiler:Eileen and Henry [[GoldenEnding make it out together]]]]; [[spoiler:Eileen and Henry make it out together, but she ''[[AssPull somehow]]'' wants to return to the cursed apartment building (which is [[NotQuiteBackToNormal very much still cursed]])]]; or [[spoiler:[[BittersweetEnding Henry gets out alone]] and is left to mourn Eileen's death, confirmed by the same radio anchor as in "21 Sacraments"]].

** ''Completing the Mission'' has the secret base of the Toppat Clan as its title screen, and all of its routes either deal with it, the train leading to it, or the satellite that's launched from it...with the exception of [[spoiler:''Toppat Civil War'']], which doesn't involve it at all, and also ends on a {{Cliffhanger}}.

*** Excluding ''Revelation'', the game heavily favors ''Birthright'' over ''Conquest''. Corrin has a more justified reason for siding with Hoshido, the main antagonist is Garon, a HateSink, and the Nohrian siblings are more conflicted about fighting the Avatar than the Hoshidan siblings are in ''Conquest''.

*** Most quests have hidden options that can be unlocked depending on the companions you brought. Of all the companions, Anders is the one with the most unique and story-changing scenes. For example, bringing him to the Deep Roads mission is the only way to [[spoiler:turn your sibling into a Grey Warden]]. Others scenes include [[spoiler:temporarily curing Bartrand of his insanity]] (which throws that entire situation into a new light), becoming possessed by Justice while in the fade, and [[spoiler:almost falling under the influence of Corypheus]] in the ''Legacy'' DLC. To top it all off, as a mage, Anders also has almost every special option that Bethany and Merrill have.

*** With Sumia, she has a steady amount of ShipTease throughout the first half of the game. She even appears alongside Chrom holding baby Lucina in the game's opening movie, as well as giving them an animated RescueRomance cutscene that was even titled "Lovebirds" in the English version. She also has the fastest support growth with him, and the highest priority for auto-marriage in the case of tied supports.

** Shepard is often portrayed in the default Soldier class, which by the game's own lore makes the most sense in explaining their prowess in combat. This is particularly true in the first game where it is hard to justify how Shepard can match an asari in biotic power or a quarian engineer in tech skills.

*** The leadup to the mage quest (In Hushed Whispers) has considerably more weight and urgency than the leadup to the Templar quest (Champions of the Just). You can meet Dorian without ever actually committing to the mage path, and you are introduced to Alexius' use of time magic that threatens to tear the universe apart, the Tevinter occupation of Redcliffe, and the rebel mages being conscripted into the Tevinter army on Fereldan soil. Meanwhile, the extent of the Templar introduction is the Lord Seeker being a bit of a JerkAss and [[TalkToTheFist punching out a cleric in Val Royeaux]], with no indication beyond a few words from Cassandra that this is anything to really worry about in the face of the Breach. While the Templar storyline has strengths of its own -- Calpernia being a much more complex and interesting [[TheDragon Dragon]] than Samson, better insight into Corypheus' own mindset and psyche,and a possible side-quest with Ser Barris -- none of these come into play until long after the player has already completed the quest and recruited the Templars.
*** The mobs found throughout the game later will always be full of Red Templars no matter what you do, and the game's later events carry considerably more weight when the knowledge of the BigBad's next move comes from a trip to the BadFuture showing you the full impact of his plans as opposed to the demon ramblings found in the Templar stronghold.
*** It decides the fate of Grand Enchanter Fiona, a returning character from the novels (and secretly [[spoiler:Alistair's mother]]), either having her join you in the Mage path or killing her as a minor boss with almost no dialog in the Templar path.
*** There is significantly more special content for a Dalish Inquisitor than there is for any other background. Which isn't surprising given how much of the plot explores elvish history. Solas especially is much more open and straightforward with an Elf, and his romance is the only one that only one race can pursue. Plus an elf gets to [[spoiler:yell a lot when they meet two of their gods and find out that their entire ReligionIsWrong]], which is nice. In addition, being a female elf also means you have the most romantic options available to you than any other race/gender combo in the game, as you get access to Blackwall, Solas, Sera, Iron Bull, Cullen, and Josephine.
*** The ''Trespasser'' DLC favors saving the Bull's Chargers by sacrificing the Qunari dreadnought, rather than the other way round. If the Chargers are alive, you get extra scenes with them and Iron Bull. If they're dead, [[spoiler:Iron Bull sides with the invading Qunari and you kill him]], and that's it.

[[folder:RPG -- Eastern]]
* The first ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'' has several potential ally commanders in the final battle depending on which path you took to get there, but having Eagle on your side (use Sami for all the Green Earth missions) is given a bit more weight than the others: it's the only option that unlocks a special BonusBoss mission afterwards, he overrides all other options for the 3rd CO and his route is the only one to give closure to the Eagle/Andy rivalry subplot. Gameplay wise it's also one that's very much in the player's favor, as the map in question has no naval combat but a few airports, rendering Eagle's weakness of bad warships meaningless. Future games would give Eagle ShipTease with Sami, which follows on from her branch of the Green Earth missions.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'''s story branches at two points -- you can pick one of three options for a guide to Viper Manor, and you can declare that ''of course'' you'll [[spoiler:save Kid from Lynx's poison]] or else confess that you don't know ''how''.
** In the first case, Nikki's route through the Shadow Forest is the longest and most developed, including an entire dungeon (including a boss battle with Zoah, who you won't meet until later otherwise). Guile's route has a brief climb up Viper Manor's seaside cliffs ([[BookEnds but matches up the best with what happens at the end of the dungeon]]), while Pierre's route consists entirely of a boss battle and nothing else.
** The second case is more complex. Announcing that you'll handle the problem leads to an entire dungeon that you don't get to play otherwise, and while saying you're not sure doesn't lead to any replacement dungeon it still allows you to recruit a highly plot-relevant character who also happens to be one of the game's most powerful fighters. Further complicating the matter, if you do refuse, Kid's life gets saved anyway via an implausible DeusExMachina.
* Halfway through ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', you have to choose one of two girls to marry: [[{{Ojou}} Nera]] or [[ChildhoodFriend Bianca]]. Bianca is the favored bride, having known you the longest and being depicted as such in most of the promotional art, along with her children. There's also the fact that Nera already has a love interest before you meet here, and you meet her ''just a few days before the in-game choice of who to marry''. (That choosing Nera as your bride causes Bianca to undergo a TraumaCongaLine of misery is an UrbanLegendOfZelda that got ''way'' out of hand.) The DS remake averts this by having Nera (and her remake-exclusive sister Debora) ''also'' meet the hero when they were children, and gives Bianca [[SecondLove an alternate love interest]] if she's not chosen. But the promotional art still uses Bianca as TheFace of the game and almost exclusively depicts the hero's children with Bianca's blonde hair rather than Nera's blue or Debora's black, so the trope hasn't gone away entirely (probably because Square Enix is well aware that Hero/Bianca has always been the FanPreferredCouple and Bianca the BreakoutCharacter that [=DQ5=] is best known for). The Playstation 2 version (which is incredibly broken and allows you to skip 99% of the game) even defaults to Bianca being your wife if you skip the marriage choice.

* Starting off in the World of Ruin portion in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' has Celes stranded on an island with Cid and has grown ill due to neglecting his own health to keep Celes healthy. If you keep Cid alive, he reveals a hidden staircase leading to the basement with a raft made so that Celes can escape and find her friends. If Cid dies, Celes thinks Cid is playing a prank and then [[PleaseWakeUp begs him to wake up]] before realizing that Cid is truly gone. Overcome with despair of losing what was basically a father to her and being alone without her friends, Celes [[DrivenToSuicide jumps off a cliff]] to end it all. She survives anyway and sees a bird carrying Locke's bandana, which gives her hope that her friends are alive and she sets out to find them after finding the raft Cid left behind. Given that the "Cid dies" scene is a lot more developed than the "Cid lives" scene, it seems that the writers preferred to have Celes find hope again on her own.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Aerith's date sequence is the longest, makes the most sense with the previous plot (she'd previously offered to go on a date with Cloud in her opening scene; she'd previously been responsible for choosing Marlene's hiding place), the aesthetic themes of her character (she and Cloud played in a children's park earlier in the game, so it fits that she wants to take him to an amusement park), and with the plot structure (the date is a BreatherEpisode before two {{Wham Episode}}s that focus heavily on Aeris). It also contains a significant bit of {{Foreshadowing}} concerning Zack, and is the easiest date to get. Tifa's date is a little shorter, a little harder to get, and only foreshadows the fact that Tifa's [[CanNotSpitItOut keeping something bottled up around Cloud]], which is not new information. Yuffie's date is slightly shorter again and has the least plot importance, as Yuffie doesn't know anything about Cloud's past and doesn't know who Marlene is, meaning Cloud gets to talk to Marlene (when his date will do that on all other routes). Barret's date is by far the shortest, skipping the play sequence, going straight to the gondola ride, and having fewer lines even there, none of which foreshadow anything. He doesn't even get a more fleshed-out version of the scene with Marlene, even though he's the closest to her in the cast.
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'':
*** The game has a form of "gameplay branch favoritism". The three starting villagers, Grey, Tobin and Kliff, can choose to promote into several different classes, but early dialogue in Ram Village heavily encourages making Grey a Mercenary, Tobin an Archer, and Kliff a Mage. Kliff's case is particularly notable: he gets the widest spell learnset of the three, he's a magic user in the spinoff ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'', and the remake's WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue mentions that he went overseas to study magic regardless of what class the player made him.
*** Later in ''Gaiden'', Celica's party must make a choice between killing Sonya or Deen in order to rescue Est from Grieth's pirates, with the other joining her army after Grieth is defeated. Of the two, killing Deen is the favorite branch; Sonya has ties to Jedah, a major villain, while Deen's role in the story ends after his recruitment.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', all first generation females besides Ethlyn and Deirdre can marry any first generation male, but only three males per female get special conversations in Chapter 5[[note]]Edain: Midir, Jamke, Azelle. Ayra: Lex, Chulainn, Arden. Lachesis: Naoise, Beowulf, Dew. Silvia: Lewyn, Alec, Claud. Erinys: Lewyn, Naoise, Arden. Tailtiu: Lex, Azelle, Lewyn. Brigid: Midir, Jamke, Alec[[/note]]. These pairings are usually the easiest to make and have optional ShipTease moments in earlier chapters, while most other pairings [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight get no dialogue at all]]. The fandom usually terms these "predestined pairings". For an odd example, although Finn does ''not'' have any "predestined" conversations with the first-gen ladies (despite his pairing with Lachesis being treated as canon in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776''), he gets his own set of "predestined" conversations where he talks to his daughter instead (as he leaves the party before the first-gen conversations occur and only returns in the second generation); these apply to Larcei (Ayra), Lana (Edain), and Nanna (Lachesis), with Nanna being even the only one of the three who recognizes him as her father!
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'':
*** Each of the three Lords have at least three options whom they can marry, but with Eliwood it's canonical that Ninian will always have feelings for him, while Lyn and Hector have a particularly heartfelt conversation with each other in the "Pirate Ship" chapter. Both pairs have additional story dialogue and a unique music track each that only play if they have an A Support.
*** Depending on the level of your Lords, you'll fight either Lloyd or Linus in "Four Fanged Offense" and the other brother in "Cog of Destiny". Despite the Linus version of "Four Fanged Offense" being harder to unlock, "Cog of Destiny" has additional dialogue if you are on Hector's story, fight Linus there, and Hector lands the killing blow. There is no equivalent for Lloyd.
** There are two possible outcomes to the Black Knight battle in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance''. If Ike can't defeat him, Nasir is forced to perform a HeroicSacrifice to save Ike and Ena. Ena will then join the party, but is ''severely'' OverratedAndUnderleveled, and you get less dialogue in the final chapter due to Nasir's absence. If Ike defeats the Black Knight, both Nasir and Ena survive, and the far stronger Nasir is recruited instead of Ena. Nasir is alive and well in the sequel, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', and that game's story makes it clear that Ike defeated the Black Knight in the last war.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', Chrom is able to marry one of five playable girls ([[PlayerCharacter Female Robin]], Sumia, Sully, Maribelle, or Olivia), and while he technically has no canon wife, the game ''heavily'' pushes him with two of them the most; Sumia and the Female Robin.
*** With Sumia, she has a steady amount of ShipTease throughout the first half of the game. She even appears alongside Chrom holding baby Lucina in the game's opening movie, as well as giving them an animated RescueRomance cutscene that was even titled "Lovebirds" in the English version. She also has the fastest support growth with him, and the highest priority for auto-marriage in the case of tied supports.
*** On the flip side is the Female Robin. A Robin of [[HoYay either gender]] has a steady amount of ShipTease throughout the game, even after Chrom’s mandatory marriage or if the Avatar’s married to someone else. A Female Avatar married to Chrom is the only one of his potential love interests who doesn’t [[MistakenforCheating accuse him of cheating on her]] with [[spoiler:[[ItMakesSenseinContext their daughter from the future]]]], limiting herself to merely point out the possibility. If she isn’t married to Chrom, [[spoiler:[[ShippingTorpedo then Lucina accuses her of making advances towards him]], and [[ShipperonDeck later DEMANDS she fall for him]]]]. Rather jarringly, it’s only Chrom who makes a fuss should [[spoiler:Robin choose to [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice]] themselves to kill [[BigBad Grima]]]] regardless if either of them are married to someone else with her spouse only having the same scripted lines regardless of their relationship. And due to both being playable right off it's possible for Female Robin to marry Chrom ''by accident''. There's also a lot of plot conveniences to come out of their marriage with Robin [[spoiler:killing Chrom in the BadFuture]] and Lucina [[spoiler:seriously considering matricide to prevent that BadFuture]] but being unable to bring herself to do it.
*** Besides that, while in the plot there are no hints of other couples and the player is free to play matchmaker as they see fit and ship to their heart's content, it's something of a hidden mechanic that several characters, particular those of the first generation, are capable of advancing their romance with certain characters much more quickly than with others; such pairings include Lissa/Vaike, Miriel/Stahl, Maribelle/Frederick, Ricken/Panne, Tharja/Gaius, Libra/Cordelia, Lucina/Laurent, etc. So there's an advantage for going for these pairings rather than others.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'':
*** Similarly to ''Awakening'', the [[PlayerCharacter Male Corrin's]] romance options heavily favor Azura. While not as blatant as Chrom and Female Robin, the two get plenty of ShipTease throughout the game, ''especially'' in the ''Birthright'' route where [[spoiler:Azura gets to spend her final moments with him, regardless of whether she married someone else]]. This pairing also has a bit of convenience on ''Revelation'' with [[spoiler:Azura being Valla's rightful princess, so Male Corrin and Azura have the potential to be Valla's RulingCouple]]. Otherwise she simply [[spoiler:[[AbdicateTheThrone abdicates to Corrin]].]]
*** While there are 3 main paths with their own narratives, ''Revelation'' is the only one that actually involves [[spoiler:stopping the real villain, Anankos,]] and uniting the two kingdoms with minimal bloodshed. It also lacks a BittersweetEnding with lots of scripted {{Character Death}}s in favor of having the GoldenEnding with a very small casualty count, along with it being the only branch where [[spoiler:Azura and Lilith live]].
*** Excluding ''Revelation'', the game heavily favors ''Birthright'' over ''Conquest''. Corrin has a more justified reason for siding with Hoshido, the main antagonist is Garon, a HateSink, and the Nohrian siblings are more conflicted about fighting the Avatar than the Hoshidan siblings are in ''Conquest''.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'':
*** Just like Robin and Corrin before them, in each route [[PlayerCharacter Byleth]] has a heavy amount of ShipTease with the route's respective lord. [[spoiler:This also includes Rhea on Silver Snow, as her survival depends on whether or not her support rank is high enough.]]
*** While each route has a reason to play it, the Azure Moon route looks to have gotten somewhat more love and attention from the developers. Gameplay-wise, it has the most exclusive characters, the most paralogues, and the most exclusive weapons; moreover, it's the only route where all of the Heroes' Relics can be obtained, plus it's the only route to include a support conversation that gives a usable weapon. Narratively, a significant amount of conflict in the first part of the game spins out of the Kingdom (rather than the Empire or Alliance) and has personal connections with Blue Lion students - Sylvain's brother leads a gang which introduces the player to Demonic Beasts, Ashe's adoptive father launches a rebellion, and Mercedes and Dimitri turn out to have complicated personal connections to the Death Knight and the Flame Emperor respectively. The Blue Lions also get an exclusive dialogue scene between Byleth and Dimitri at the ball, an extended version of the scene where the Flame Emperor meets with Thales and [[spoiler:Monica]], and flashbacks using character models and voice actors found nowhere else in the game. All the Blue Lions get exclusive, bespoke endings in their route, while all the other routes share a common pool of endings (with some minor rewrites for a few characters if the player sides with the Empire). Finally it's also the only route where more than one of the game's lords survive, as [[spoiler:Claude gives his relic and the Leicester Alliance to Dimitri with the implication that he's going back Almyra]]. It's also the only route that guarantees [[spoiler:Rhea's survival with less than a full Support, due to her being TheGhost of Azure Moon]].
* In the H-game ''Legend of Queen Opala'', the good route is the main one, giving you more areas to travel through, chances to fight Sir Edward, and learn more about ''why'' Osira is doing what she's doing. The evil route was sort of an afterthought; you get different sex scenes, capture the Queens, and then do the final quest of the Good side in reverse (requiring a lot of grinding just to get out of Osira's palace, which is normally the endgame dungeon), before battling the final boss of Osira's route. [[spoiler:''However'', the player can only become Pharaoh on the evil route, through a GuideDangIt method that allows him to [[ICanRuleAlone betray Osira]] and claim all three royals as his concubines and party members.]] The Good route is also [[CuttingOffTheBranches canon for the second game]].

* ''VideoGame/RecordOfAgarestWar'' runs on a not-at-all-subtle FirstGirlWins rule. While the player can choose any of the three {{Love Interest}}s of each generation (or even to not be with any), if they fail to charm even one of the ladies, the game pushes and expects you to pick the first girl introduced. They all appear in the opening with wedding dresses, appear in the posters and promotional material, etc. In the first generation, while the girls are asking Leonhardt questions, if he answers that he already has someone he likes, only the first girl gets a bonus, meaning the game assumes that, if you like someone, it's her.
* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory'':
** Mist is an odd example. In the original game, it's made clear that she is the "official" love interest by the fact she's the one in the intro. However, [[{{retcon}} future games]] heavily imply that Raguna ''didn't'' marry Mist.
** The ''VideoGame/RuneFactory2'' intro makes it clear that Kyle is 'supposed' to marry Mana.
** ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' is so blatant about [[InnocentFlowerGirl Shara]] being the canon bachelorette that the ending always shows her hugging the lead, no matter who he actually marries. [[SugarAndIcePersonality Raven]] is a close second via GuiltBasedGaming.
** ''VideoGame/RuneFactoryOceans'' implies that the "right" choice for marriage is [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Aden and Sonja]]. When Sonja gets returned to her own body during postgame, she and Aden start off with Love Points instead of Friendship Points for each other compared to the other love interests. However, the game also implies a favored B-Choice with Odette; she was the first girl to meet Aden and Sonja on Fenith Island, and she has the most plot-relevance out of the three sisters.
* ''VideoGame/{{SaGa|RPG}}'':
** ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa'' features eight characters to choose from as your main protagonist, but Albert has two quests that are only available to him, as well as one shared between him and Sif; in comparison, Gray has one unique quest, Sif shares the spotlight, and everyone else just has unique lines for quests anyone can undertake. Albert can also find and wear the armor of a legendary hero, making him the only character with a potential appearance change.[[note]]The Playstation 2 remake ''Minstrel Song'' does add an appearance change for Gray upon completing his unique quest, but it's merely an accessory, rather than an entire new outfit.[[/note]]
** ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa2'' has a lot of branches, such as who to support for the throne of an allied kingdom, or whether to gain a new type of magic over saving a unique race of possible allies. However, the remakes include a BonusBoss that can only be challenged if the player never took a branch that required sacrificing a potential unit type.
** ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa3'' also has eight characters to choose from, but Katarina cannot be recruited by the other seven, and her personal quest is directly connected to one of the game's major subplots. With that said, Khalid gets to briefly team up with every other protagonist (including Katrina) during his version of the prologue, Julian has the most variance in how his story can end, and Sarah [[spoiler:is a Child of Destiny who can recruit a plot-important character before the endgame, and whose version of the final boss is different than everyone else's]].
*** There's also another example of favoritism concerning Julian: in his story, he can decide whether or not to be Monika's bodyguard, but he chooses to do so if anyone else is the main protagonist, and there are plenty of romantic scenes between the two (including [[spoiler:a possible ending where they can be married]]).
** ''VideoGame/UnlimitedSaga'' has seven main protagonists, but Ruby's story is the only one that focuses on the Seven Wonders, a major part of the setting that is also tied to the FinalBoss of every route. She is also joined on her quest by the titular "Unlimited", a legendary hero who is unrecruitable by anyone else. Oh, and she was the main protagonist of a Japan-only novelization of the game.
* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'':
** ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
*** In ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and, to a much lesser degree, ''VideoGame/Persona4'', certain characters will show romantic interest in the protagonist during the story, contrary to the rest of the cast, who only will only show a romantic interest in the player [[GameplayAndStorySegregation during their Social Links and in specific in-game events]].
*** A minor case happens with the Hermit Social Link in the third game's female route. Saori will become your friend for the link regardless of whether you join the library committee (under Ms. Ounishi), or the health committee (under Mr. Edogawa), but in the penultimate event of Saori's Social Link, Ms. Ounishi will stand up for Saori alongside Ms. Toriumi regardless of whether you're working under Ms. Ounishi.
*** At the beginning of ''VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth'', you can choose whether to follow the cast of ''Persona 3'' or ''Persona 4'', with the side not chosen joining you after the first labyrinth. ''Persona 4'' is given slight favoritism since they are the then-incumbent cast, the game is set in a twisted version of their high school, and [[spoiler:Rei turns out to be the ghost of a girl who lived and died in the Inaba area]].
** Where themes of Law vs Chaos are concerned, the Neutral endings in ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' where humanity takes a stand and [[TakeAThirdOption does not commit to a specific faction]], are considered to be the best endings from the creator perspective. Neutral routes also usually give you more content such as bosses (since you made enemies of both factions, whereas those neutral in the conflict, by definition, don't really have any malice for someone who's on Law or Chaos), sidequests, lore, and unlockable items. To say the least the [[MultipleEndings alternative endings]] [[GodIsEvil are]] [[HellOnEarth not]] [[ApocalypseHow that]] [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt desirable...]] However, there are some major exceptions.
*** Exaggerated in the very first game in the series with multiple endings, ''VideoGame/MegamiTenseiII''. There, Chaos was the default path and Luficer an outright good guy, while siding with Law was more like a NonStandardGameOver.
*** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne'' didn't have any favoritism in the initial release, but in the Maniax UpdatedRerelease ([[RemadeForTheExport which was the version released outside Japan]]) the True Demon Ending, a traditional Chaos path, gets most of the game's additional content, is the only way to face the TrueFinalBoss, and its ending shot forms the basis of the game's title screen. In the Demi-Fiend's PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo in the DLC of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'', it's explicitly stated he took the TDE path.
*** In ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor Overclocked'', Amane's route has you act far more moderately than the usual Law route. You consistently prefer to redeem sinners rather than execute them, and no indication is given that humanity has lost its free will. Additionally, while Naoya's evil route is typical Chaos fare, Naoya's good route has you rally all of Tokyo to stand up to God, leading to you going to Heaven to do battle with Him while all of your friends cheer you on and await your safe return.
*** ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'' is not as extreme as other games in the series, as all the endings the same length in story time and each one has a relatively decent ending, but the [[spoiler:ResetButton ending]] is quite clearly the favored option by the story. Its the only one where you get almost the entire party (sans one who cannot be recruited except on his route), both sides of the conflict, Yamato and Ronaldo, put aside their differences to work together to defeat the BigBad [[spoiler:Polaris]], and all the characters get happier lives when its over than before. The ''Record Breaker'' version even uses it as a rough base for the storyline of its chapter, the only difference being the presence of the entire cast, even the one who normally can not be recruited.
*** While ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' is the most blatantly pro-Neutral game in the franchise, the ''Redux'' rerelease gives three expanded routes that provide some nuance to the Neutral route by revealing [[spoiler:you only manage to delay the inevitable in the original ending, and have to effectively damn yourself to a ForeverWar to provide a permanent Neutral solution]]. Meanwhile, the extended Law route leads to [[spoiler:you taking away humanity's desire for conflict instead of its free will, creating a world of peace and harmony for all humans]], while the extended Chaos route leads to [[spoiler:you creating a world where all humans have infinite freedom and possibility]]. Law+ and Chaos+ are also the only routes in which [[spoiler:you can bring Zelenin and Jimenez, respectively, back from the levels of extremism they reach in all of the other routes]].
*** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' shows its neutral favoritism by making its Law and Chaos endings [[NoFinalBossForYou end the plot prematurely]]. Still, within its neutral branches, it continues to favor the Bonds route as the game regularly praises you for decisions that favor it.

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', the ending where your party ends up with Kratos is noticeably less developed than the ending with Zelos. Several sidequests are dependent on Zelos' presence in order to be completed, but there are almost none that are exclusive to Kratos. Kratos also has only a single [[AndYourRewardIsClothes alternate costume]], while Zelos has several. Additionally, picking Kratos will also automatically set him as Lloyd's soulmate regardless of what everyone's RelationshipValues are at, forcing you to pick Zelos if you want Lloyd to end up with anyone else. The sequel, ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld'', outright made the ending with Kratos [[CuttingOffTheBranches non-canon]] by having Kratos be entirely absent except for a brief cameo.
** Also of note is that if you pick the Zelos route, then Kratos still ends up siding with the heroes and playing the same role he does in his own ending, he just never becomes a playable character again for the rest of the playthrough. But if you pick the Kratos route, then Zelos [[spoiler:turns out to have been sincere in his FaceHeelTurn and is killed by the party]]. So the Zelos route is more of a GoldenEnding in comparison, despite the supposed choice.
** From the same game any of the party can be chosen as Lloyd's soul mate (not always but often a romantic relationship) based on who has the highest [[RelationshipValues Affection]] for Lloyd. However the game favours Colette for this role. While every other party member starts with an Affection score of 0 Colette starts with an Affection score of 500. She also has more chances to increase this score and less chances to reduce it than any other character. Colette also has more scenes alone with Lloyd than the other party members [[spoiler:and the final cutscene is with her and Lloyd even if she isn't his soul mate]].
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' has two storylines, Jude's and Milla's. Jude's has far more content, however, while Milla's seems intended for a second playthrough. This is most noticeable at the end of the third act of the game, where [[spoiler:Milla is presumed dead]]. Jude's story goes on to feature a very significant DuelBoss fight, followed by a fight with Gaius, then [[spoiler:Presa and Agria's]] deaths, and a three-phase boss fight with [[spoiler:the real Maxwell]]. All of this happens offscreen on Milla's path, which instead consists of her wandering through the Spirit World for a while (essentially a very long NoGearLevel with her as your sole party member) with very little interaction due to the lack of {{Non Player Character}}s and [[spoiler:her becoming an EmptyShell]]. While Milla gets her own DuelBoss fight, it's an extremely [[ThatOneBoss frustrating one]], and she only comes back during the last phase of Jude's ClimaxBoss. It's actually not possible to get the "Religious Skit Viewer" trophy on Milla's path, as there simply aren't enough skits for her to see.

[[folder:RPG -- Western]]

* ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' favors the Nomad [[MultipleGameOpenings lifepath/origin]] over the other two (Street Kid and Corpo Rat) in at least two ways. On one hand, where the other two consist mostly of indoor levels, linear dialogue, and being driven from place to place, the Nomad prologue intersperses dialogue with open-world driving sections and even a RailShooter car ChaseScene -- the only mandatory combat section in any lifepath mission. On the other, the Nomad prologue is the only one that is neatly bookended by one of the endings, [[spoiler:namely, "All Along the Watchtower", which sees V leave Night City behind to ride with the Nomads again (albeit with a different family)]].
* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'': The "Kill Bob Page/Join Illuminati" ending is the only one to BookEnd the opening scene. However, the [[VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar sequel]] subverts that, making it clear that JC chose the "Merge with Helios" ending (with things not going quite as planned).

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' towards the Dunmer (Dark Elf) race. It delves deep into their culture, allows the player to join factions that typically only make sense for a Dunmer to be a part of (such as the Tribunal Temple), and includes more faces in character creation than the other racial options. The story also has the player effectively [[BecomingTheMask assuming the role]] as the reincarnation of an ancient Chimer (the predecessor race of the Dunmer) hero, and while it's deliberately left ambiguous [[TheUnchosenOne how true that is]], it would certainly make the most sense for it to be a Dunmer. Justified because the game takes place in the Dunmer homeland, so the deeper dive into their culture and native factions makes sense.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'':
*** This time around, you can play as one of ten different races. However, because it explores Nordic culture, gives the PlayerCharacter the power of the [[MakeMeWannaShout Thu'um]], which lore-wise has always been associated with the Nords, and depicted the Dragonborn as a burly Nord warrior on all the promotional material, there's no mistake as to which race the game is kind of expecting you to play as. Furthermore, some races, like the [[LizardFolk Argonians]] and [[CatFolk Khajiit]], are subjected to FantasticRacism and not allowed into some cities, [[GameplayAndStorySegregation but the player is inexplicably free of such restrictions]].
*** Inverted in the case of the Bretons. They are uniquely largely free of any racial pros or cons due to story or unique dialogue. No {{Non Player Character}}s hate them, but no one thinks anything special of them either, aside from two instances in the entire game: a quest where players replace a reclusive chef that is a master of Breton cuisine (the original is an Orc, but as no one knows this, your assistant for the quest casually remarks that it's too obvious for you to be a Breton because of their reputation.) and having average ability to disguise themselves as a Thalmor. (Being humans with Elvish ancestors allows them to pass for an elf at a distance as long as their hood is up)
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/Fallout2'', the player can potentially reach Made Man status with any of the four crime families in New Reno. However, only by accepting the second quest from the Wright family can the Sierra Army Depot even be placed on your map. This is one of the best locations to find advanced weapons and armor mid-game, as well as a potential companion. Come ''New Vegas'', dialogue reveals that the Wrights and the Van Graffs run New Reno, and the only other family that's mentioned to still be around is the Bishop family.
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' allows for four FactionSpecificEndings: either Caesar's Legion, Mr. House, the New California Republic or the Courier him/herself will dominate the Mojave in the aftermath of the game. Unfortunately for a player interested in being openly anti-NCR and/or pro-Legion, however, there are a ton of NCR quests and locations (which can still be played if you’re siding with House or going alone), but only a small handful of Legion equivalents. You can play as someone explicitly opposed to the NCR, but the cost is that a very large portion of the game's content will be closed to you, including potentially all of the game's human companions. There’s also very little in-story reason for why the Courier would ''want'' to support the Legion, [[NoWomansLand especially if they’re female]], given how relentlessly brutal and evil the Legion is depicted as being. A big part of this is due to content being cut; [[WhatCouldHaveBeen there was meant to be many more Legion-friendly locations, characters, and quests]], and the Legion was intended to have [[RepressiveButEfficient good points of their own]] that showed [[GreyAndGrayMorality the conflict is far from black and white]]. Most of this ended up being cut due to time and budget restraints, leaving the Legion looking like cartoonishly evil caricatures of [[WellIntentionedExtremist what they were intended to be]]. This favoritism is made especially obvious in the DLC Honest Hearts. Of the three major tribes in Zion, the White Legs are the ones allied with Caesar's Legion...and they will [[HardCodedHostility immediately try to kill you throughout the DLC regardless of your relationship with Caesar]], forcing you to look to the other two tribes for allies. The remaining two tribes are led by men opposed to the Legion, and both are treated as storyline-critical characters whose deaths end all further quests in the DLC and result in the worst ending. The only way to do the storyline "properly" involves fighting against a Legion ally.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' has you choose either a husband or wife (named Nate and Nora by default, respectively) to be the protagonist of the game, while the other half of the married couple is killed off early on. However, the story seems to favor Nate being the [[InSeriesNickname Sole Survivor]], as he narrates the OpeningMonologue, is a trained veteran (which would explain why the player can use guns and Power Armor immediately, unlike Nora, who is canonically a lawyer) and promotional materials focus on a male character.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** Shepard is often portrayed in the default Soldier class, which by the game's own lore makes the most sense in explaining their prowess in combat. This is particularly true in the first game where it is hard to justify how Shepard can match an asari in biotic power or a quarian engineer in tech skills.
** Liara T'Soni is the only [[RomanceSidequest Love Interest]] who can be romanced in all three games (though ''2'' requires DLC for this), by both genders, and cannot die under any circumstances except for low-EMS ending of the final installment.
** It makes much more sense story-wise to complete Noveria last since Virmire is added as an emergency mission after completing two storyline missions, also the piece of intel gathered in Noveria ([[spoiler:the location of the Mu relay]]) would narrow down tremendously the location of the Conduit (this can be handwaved by saying that [[spoiler:the Mu relay transports to many systems]], but it is clear that with a little extra research they would have been able to deduce the location eventually.)
** The angry, accusatory attitude of the Virmire Survivor towards Shepard on Horizon in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' makes much more sense coming from [[spoiler:Ashley]] (the pessimist who doubts first before she even gives anything a chance) than it does [[spoiler:Kaidan]] (the optimist who trusts first and doubts later). However, this situation is muddled in the third game. Saving [[spoiler:Kaidan]] will result in much more conversation between him and Shepard after the Citadel coup about how he was wrong and ready to make amends, wondering if Cerberus still has some good people, many interactions and jokes between him and fellow Normandy squadmates as well as a potential RelationshipUpgrade with him as a GayOption for a male Shepard. Saving [[spoiler:Ashley]] just results in many insults and doubts from her before the Citadel coup and she only interacts with two squadmates in the Normandy including Shepard. The change in the head writer and effort to promote Kaidan as a legitimately gay male love interest (something which the fanbase complained about the game's reliance on DiscountLesbians) probably explained this.
** In ''Mass Effect 2'', during Samara's loyalty mission, you can choose to kill Samara and recruit her target Morinth if you want to and Morinth will be a loyal squad mate for the rest of the game. The favoritism doesn't show up until ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. If Samara survives her loyalty mission and the suicide mission, then in ''[=ME3=]'' she will show up when you do the Ardat-Yakshi Monastery mission and will make it a much more meaningful experience. If Morinth survives said events in ''[=ME2=]'', all you get is an email from her at the beginning of ''[=ME3=]'', and then during the final mission, you fight her as a Banshee, kill her, and move on.
** The early Freedom's Progress mission in ''Mass Effect 2'' has the player choose between turning Veetor over to either Cerberus or Tali. If you choose Tali, Veetor shows up at Tali's loyalty mission later to help the two of you out. If you choose Cerberus, the Veetor subplot basically ends right there; Shepard loses much rapport with his/her longtime partner Tali, and over nothing, since Veetor's interrogation at the hands of Cerberus fails to turn up any useful information.
** One of the selling points of the second game was that, in the ending suicide mission, anyone in your squad was able to die, ranging all over the spectrum from almost everyone dying to everyone surviving. However, keeping squad members alive near-universally results in better outcomes in the third game. Living squad members enhance the story a bit, keep minor characters in sidequests alive, and sometimes open up otherwise-impossible [[TakeAThirdOption third options]]. In particular, it's impossible to [[spoiler:make peace between the geth and the quarians]] if either [[spoiler:Tali]] or [[spoiler:Legion]] dies in the suicide mission.
** In ''Mass Effect 1'', Paragon and Renegade are basically tools in the toolbox to get what you want. In ''2'' and ''3'', they serve more as a typical karma meter and picking Paragon almost always gives the superior result - the only Renegade decision to be optimal is to [[spoiler:destroy the geth heretics in Legion: A House Divided]].
** At the end of ''Mass Effect 1'', you have the choice of endorsing Captain Anderson or Ambassador Udina to become the first human councilor. In ''Mass Effect 3'', if you picked Anderson as councilor, he resigns and Udina becomes councilor anyway.
** In ''Mass Effect 3'' Cerberus has the salvaged [[spoiler:Human Reaper]] at Cronos Station regardless of if you destroyed the Collector Base or gave it to them. Since having intact Reaper tech to experiment with goes a long way to explain Cerberus' massive jump in resources and threat level in ''3'', it's clear the devs intended for the Collector Base to be preserved for the narrative they wanted to use.
** In ''Mass Effect 3'', the krogans, quarians and geth are playable races in multiplayer even though in single-player [[spoiler:you can lose krogan support by betraying Wrex; furthermore, the game assumes you've achieved peace between the quarians and geth as failing that would result in one of the races being wiped out]].
** ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'': You’re given the choice of whether to side with Sloane Kelly or Reyes Vidal in the conflict over [[WretchedHive Kadara Port]]...but there’s literally no reason given for why you would ever genuinely want to side with Kelly, as she’s a brutal, tyrannical, and [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]] {{Jerkass}} who never shows anything but disdain for Ryder and the Initiative, while also forcing them to pay to settle on Kadara and letting criminals run wild. Contrast that with Reyes, a FriendlyNeighborhoodGangster and NobleDemon who is not only unerringly helpful and friendly to Ryder, but also makes peace with the Initiative and actually puts some effort into cleaning up Kadara if chosen. Siding with Reyes also leads to significantly more poignant CharacterDevelopment for Ryder, not to mention he’s a potential romance option. As if it wasn’t any clearer who the writers expected you to choose, the only way to really side with Kelly is to click [[PressXToNotDie an easily missed button prompt]]; otherwise all you have to do is [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing sit back and enjoy the cutscene]].

* In the ''Hong Kong'' campaign for ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns'', you can play any sort of character you like and resolve your missions through either violence or diplomacy. However, dialogue with Duncan, your character's stepbrother, indicates that he or she was always the calmer and more intelligent of the two in the past, implying that the game is expecting you to play as a GuileHero.
* ''VideoGame/StarRenegades'' allows the player to end the game with any five characters, plus their assistant drone. However, the game highly recommends using Wynn Syphex until your first success, due to her being the focus of both the intro and tutorial, an extra scene at the end of a successful run will be skipped entirely if she isn't present, and [[spoiler:the default final boss is an evil alternate-dimension version of her brother]].
* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' suffers from this severely, as all the expansions were seemingly made with the Jedi Knight and its DarkSide equivalent Sith Warrior (to a lesser extent) storylines in mind with players from other classes, especially [[BadassNormal the non-Force sensitive ones]], feeling severely out-of-place. Half the expansions revolve around dealing with the [[BigBad Sith Emperor]] once and for all, when the Jedi Knight is the only one who ever met him and the Sith Warrior was TheDragon to him. It's especially noticeable in Chapter 12 of ''Knights of the Fallen Empire'' where the player has to go through lessons on the Force and the philosophies surrounding it in order to construct a VillainBeatingArtifact lightsaber attuned to both the light and dark. Non-Force sensitive characters go through the exact same thing and inexplicably get a gun somehow attuned to the Force.

** A PacifistRun doesn't only have the GoldenEnding, but is significantly longer, has an entire area otherwise inaccessible, and is the only source of major revelations about [[spoiler:[[BigBad Flowey's]] origin, Alphys's backstory, and the nature of Determination]]. By comparison, a neutral run simply has a ModularEpilogue and two bosses, the latter of which you'll fight anyway if you start with a PacifistRun (because you'll need to get at least one Neutral ending first, but don't have to restart the game). After completing a Neutral playthrough, Flowey [[LampshadeHanging will outright recommend]] resetting if you've locked the True Pacifist content off and doing all the sidequests if you haven't. [[spoiler:This is just [[BatmanGambit a trick]] on his part, but works out for you anyway.]]

* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' has multiple endings: you can side with the Anarchs, the Camarilla, Lacroix, Ming Xiao, or go independent and blow all of them off. Siding with either Lacroix or Ming Xiao nets you [[spoiler:little more than two different [[NonStandardGameOver Non-Standard Game Overs]]]]. Siding with the Camarilla is available, but since your main contacts with the Camarilla consist of Lacroix (who is actively trying to get you killed) and Strauss (who is pleasant enough, but doesn't do very much in the game and comes across as a bit condescending), the justifications for doing so aren't particularly strong. The Anarchs, by contrast, save your life repeatedly and allow you an abundance of opportunities for helpful interaction, beginning with Smiling Jack guiding you through the tutorial. Finally, only the Anarch and Independent endings allow you to [[spoiler:properly savor [[SmugSnake Lacroix's]] LaserGuidedKarma when he opens the sarcophagus.]] It isn't difficult to decipher which faction the developers were expecting most people to side with. Things do get a little more even (but only a little) if you play a Tremere character, as Strauss (a Tremere himself) has a bit more advice and gives you a nice apartment to live in[[note]]other Clans get another apartment from Lacroix, but where Strauss' help has strong overtones of 'I believe it would be useful to be your ally' Lacroix' is more 'I have to do this for political reasons'[[/note]].
* ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' series:
** ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' splits into three distinct paths mid-game, one for the Order and the Scoia'tael and a neutral one. The latter features more content and is actually harder to unlock. This is justified by the eponymous Witchers' code, which forbids them from taking sides in conflicts--so the neutral path makes the most sense in-story.
** ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'' splits into two paths that depend on who Geralt allies with for the rest of the game: Vernon Roche and the Blue Stripes, or Iorveth and the Scoia'tael. While both have the same amount of content, the latter goes into greater detail on things that tie into the Kingslayer plot, including the dragon, the Lodge of Sorceresses, and Philippa Eilhart. Roche's path leaves the player in the dark on these matters. On the other hand, Roche comes back for a rather large subplot in the next game, while Iorveth is never seen.
** ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'':
*** For players just entering the franchise at the third instalment, Yennifer of Vengeberg can seem like a forced love interest, constantly belittling Geralt and making you wonder what they ever saw in each other. You can later meet and romance Triss, but on subsequent meetings with Yen there is no option to break it off with her (until much later). Other [=NPCs=] also ask about Yen and continue to assume you are together, and no option is given for you to correct them. Triss also gets far fewer lines with Geralt, often just a "huh" or "yes", and she doesn't show up at Kaer Morhen until much later. Of course, Yen is the canonical love interest in the books, so it's somewhat understandable.
*** In the ''Blood and Wine'' ExpansionPack, the player takes one of two distinct routes to end the game with. In one, Geralt can make contact with the Unseen Elder, a powerful vampire lord whose authority over all vampires can be used to bring the raging Dettlaff directly to Geralt so that the Witcher can stop his rampage once and for all. In the other, Geralt can journey to the Land of a Thousand Fables and rescue Sylvia Anna, whose past relationship with Dettlaff is hoped will bring him to heel. Both paths are fully realized, but the latter is the only way to really learn about Sylvia's past and motivations, [[spoiler:and taking it is the only way to get the campaign's best ending]]. Even in-game, Geralt is repeatedly told this is the more preferable path to take, and is given multiple opportunities to change his mind if he opts for the Unseen Elder.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' 's expansions ''Cataclysm'' and ''Mists of Pandaria'' are cases of the ones being favored not liking it one bit more than those who weren't. Those extensions had the Horde content developed first (''confirmed by the developers to be true for at least Cataclysm)'', and most of the overarching plot is that of the Horde facing internal strife and being led by an evil Warchief. Which meant that Horde fans were stuck playing a faction that was almost entirely full of AxCrazy CardCarryingVillain, a complete 180 turn from the NobleSavage the Horde was originally portrayed as. And Alliance fans hated being painted as the Horde's punching bag/foil only.

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''{{VisualNovel/Air}}'', Misuzu's route has more focus put into it and background story that builds it up.
* ''VisualNovel/BadAppleWars'' has both the Good Apple and the Bad Apple routes, which are centered around either obeying or rebelling against the rules, respectively. As you can guess from the title, the Bad Apple route was given far more attention than the Good Apple one.
* ''VisualNovel/ChoicesStoriesYouPlay'': While the writers did a good job of avoiding this trope in main storylines, [[DevelopersDesiredDate the same cannot be said for love interests]]. Still, some stories clearly favor a few key choices that don’t relate to romance.
** ''VisualNovel/TheCrownAndTheFlame'': The decision to [[spoiler:kill off Marco]] is locked behind a Prestige requirement and results in extra scenes with other characters (most notably Luther, Zenobia and Diavolos) discussing it. The opposite decision has virtually no impact on the plot.
** ''VisualNovel/EndlessSummer'': The ending where [[spoiler:you merge with Vaanu]] is generally considered to be the "correct" ending, as while it is certainly bittersweet, it provides the most logical and narratively appropriate resolution to the events of the story; the ending where [[spoiler:you allow Rourke to win]] seems artificially constructed to be as harsh as possible (in addition to retconning the events of the story out of existence), and the ending where [[spoiler:you and your friends stay on the island while the rest of the world is destroyed]] feels unsatisfying and hollow.
** ''VisualNovel/HighSchoolStory'': The football team gets special attention in Book 1 because the plot focuses on getting ready for the Homecoming match against Hearst after Brian's transfer to said school left the Berry team without a quarterback.
** ''VisualNovel/ItLives'': [[spoiler:Letting Noah take over as Redfield]] requires Noah to have high Nerve score, and [[spoiler:making the HeroicSacrifice yourself]] draws very little reaction from the other characters. The sequel nets Tom 8 nerve points if you made the favored decision and -5 if you didn’t.
* ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' favors Nagisa's route. Completing all routes for the first part of the game unlocks the second part (''After Story''), which is a continuation of Nagisa's route.
* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' plays this interestingly in that the game has three ''completely'' distinct routes (Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, Heaven's Feel), each with its own heroine (Saber, Rin, Sakura). However, Unlimited Blade Works is inaccessible until you've completed Fate first (the EventFlag that branches between them simply doesn't happen on your first play-through) and Heaven's Feel is similarly inaccessible until you've completed Unlimited Blade Works, meaning you ''have'' to play through them in a fixed order, causing the overall story to evolve and get deeper as you play through and learn more and more. As a result, while Saber is only the main heroine of Fate [[spoiler:(and is [[PlayerPunch killed off]] ''shockingly'' early in the story in Heaven's Feel)]], she's usually considered the "main heroine" of the game, if not the entire ''Fate'' franchise (indeed, the 2006 Creator/StudioDEEN ''Fate/stay night'' anime adaptation was primarily based on the Fate route).
** Another factor is that the novel [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools takes advantage]] of this setup, with UBW and Heaven's Feel assuming the player already has knowledge and context from previous routes - in fact, many of the biggest twists come from subverting what they player has come to expect. This makes Fate and its heroine Saber by ''far'' the easiest route to adapt to another medium, as the other two stories require additional exposition to be retrofitted into the narrative just to give an uninitiated viewer the faintest chance of following the plot. This is probably why the DEEN anime was able to be released just 2 years after the VN came out, but ''Unlimited Blade Works'' took [[Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks 10 years to get a proper adaptation]], and ''Heaven's Feel'' took [[Anime/FateStayNightHeavensFeel even longer.]]
* Unusually for a visual novel of its length, ''VisualNovel/{{Flowers}}'' only features two routes for each of its games, one of which is much longer and more developed than the other - this serves as the canonical ending coming into the next game. The first game, ~ le volume sur printemps ~, takes it to a new level - not only does one ending make far less sense than the other ([[spoiler:after literally forcing Suou to date her by threatening to blackmail Mayuri, it feels a little odd seeing Rikka get the girl]]), the flower which serves as a choice indicator gradually grows and blooms if you pick choices for the canonical route, while it ''shrinks back and reverts back to a seed'' if you pick the 'wrong' answers.
* In the first ''VisualNovel/FragmentsNote'', Mischa's and Haya's routes are practically identical, with only a few names and a few select scenes swapped. On the contrary, Eri's route is longer and comes with more character development and impactful scenes, and provides more character development for both her and Yukitsuki.
* ''VisualNovel/ThePiratesFate'' averts this with most routes, though four of them (as of the current version) have epilogues that expand on the consequences of your actions, instead of ending with merely a bit of narration. Additionally, if Mila stubbornly refuses to join the crew of the Pirate's Fate at the very beginning, it leads to a ''very'' short route where she is thrown from the ship, rescued by a pair of mermaids, and only has one choice that determines what the ending is. Either she befriends the younger mermaid (becoming a mermaid herself so that the two of them can keep each other company while ignoring what goes on above the surface) or sides with the older mermaid (letting herself be transformed into a gigantic, vengeful sea monster that goes on a rampage against all pirates). [[ItsAWonderfulFailure Neither of these endings include the credits]].
* ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'':
** Downplayed with the first two chapters; you can take either Kaoru or Seiji with you during the Urashima Woman and Kubitarou cases, but the former favors Kaoru and her spiritual prowess (and, in fact, cannot be completed unless Kaoru is the companion character), while the latter favors Seiji and his more practical skills.
** At the end of the Kubitarou case, you can choose to save Seiji or Kaoru from a lightning strike; whoever is saved gets an optional scene with Akira later. Seiji's scene not only contains a unique CG, but also a whole vocal performance of Momo Kuruse's song by Seiji's VA.
* In ''VisualNovel/WhiteAlbum2'', while Maruto (the scenario writer) and Leaf are quiet at what the "canon" plot is supposed to be, players of the games seem to favor the timeline that leads from [[spoiler:Setsuna's route in Concluding Chapter, to Kazusa's True End in Coda]]. Not only due to the incredibly cathartic nature of the latter, but because it's counterpart was just ''too perfect'' and involved [[DemotedToExtra Haruki being reduced to a supporting role]].
* In Chapter 2 of ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie'', there are two situations in which you have to decide between the lives of two characters: [[spoiler:[[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Reko Yabusame]] and [[CowardlyLion Alice Yabusame]]]] in the former, and [[spoiler:[[ShrinkingViolet Kanna Kizuchi]] and [[WildCard Sou Hiyori]]]] in the latter. While the first case is fairly impartial towards both potential survivors, the second case clearly favors one survivor:
** In the first case, it is ZigZagged. [[spoiler:On one hand, deliberately allowing Reko to die in order to save Alice's life grants more plot-relevant information in the long term, including {{Foreshadowing}} about [[PoisonousFriend Midori]], and has Reko be TogetherInDeath with Nao, whereas Alice doesn't. On the other hand, Alice's potential death is treated with much more fanfare than that of Reko's, and helping Alice retrieve his sister's bongos only gives a bonus scene should he be the one to die]].
** In the second case, it is PlayedStraight. [[spoiler:Condemning Sou to death has him pull a VillainsDyingGrace so that Sara is allowed to say her proper goodbyes to Joe, and additionally grants access to TheStinger. Should Kanna die instead, Sou [[ThenLetMeBeEvil declares himself to be the group's mortal enemy from then on]], he then sabotages the Joe AI he made to completely destroy Sara's mind, causing her to completely forget her best friend due to the trauma, and you'll miss out on TheStinger. In addition, Sou's act of revenge over Kanna's demise leads to Sara's personality shifting in a more ruthless direction, causing her to provoke Ranmaru into killing the surviving Yabusame sibling in Chapter 3 (Kanna's route has no equivalent).]]

[[folder:Other Genres]]
* ''VideoGame/AkibasTrip'' has an odd case with this. You'd ''expect'' it to be Shizuku, considering how much the game pushes her as the main character, and her making the MC her blood-bound servant to save his life in the intro, which is something she can only do once in her incredibly long lifespan. It turns out that it's not her, but Shion, the character with barely any ties to the plot and has by far the hardest route to enter. Unlike any of the other routes, it averts StrictlyFormula with how it unfolds, goes into far more depth about the story, [[spoiler:cures the MC of his Synthister affliction, and stops the villain before he's able to complete the first stage of his plan.]]
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'' is primarily a ''[=BlazBlue=]'' game, which is evident by how Episode Mode uses the other three series present in the crossover. While playing through all four Episodes is required to get the GoldenEnding, Episode [=BlazBlue=] is the only branch that can be used to reach it, is the only branch to give the context behind the story, and is the only branch that has MultipleEndings in the first place. While Episode RWBY at least has a good ending (if you ignore the [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse ambiguous fates of everyone else]]), Episode Persona only ever ends on a punchline at their series' expense, and Episode Under-Night is given the outright worst ending in the game (especially after [[DownloadableContent Episode Extra]] took place after the BadEnding of Episode [=BlazBlue=]).

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'':
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'': At one point, the player is given the option of killing [[spoiler:Playboy X]] or [[spoiler:Dwayne]], but the game heavily favors killing [[spoiler:Playboy X]]. Doing so gets Niko his safehouse, a bonus outfit based on Claude's from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', and the ability to participate in friend activities with [[spoiler:Dwayne]] and by extension, unlock his friend ability. Killing [[spoiler:Dwayne]], on the other hand, not only [[PermanentlyMissableContent permanently gates off these rewards from you]], all you get is some money for your troubles, and the game goes out its way to [[YouBastard make you feel like a dick]], with [[spoiler:Playboy X]] even refusing to associate himself with Niko anymore even though [[{{Hypocrite}} he ordered the hit in the first place]].
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' has this trope show up twice:
*** "The Big Score" gives you two methods of robbing the Union Depository. There is an Obvious method where you set up a distraction at the front door, drill into the gold reserve, and fly the stolen gold out of town. The other, Subtle, method involves stealing two armored vans via coercion, loading the gold into the vans under disguise, and having a hacker manipulate traffic lights to stall private security guards as you escape. [[spoiler:You are forced to pay two extra people (a van driver and a hacker) if you take the Subtle route, cutting into the player characters' profits. The Obvious route, on the other hand, cuts out these two payments and consequently leaves the player with more earnings.]] As a result, the game clearly favours the Obvious option.
*** This appears again when you get to determine the ending, and this time the game gives you very, ''very'' harsh penalties if you pick any ending but the GoldenEnding. [[spoiler:Franklin is given three options at the end of the game, two of them involving assassinating one of the other two {{Player Character}}s, Trevor or Michael. Pick either of these two options, and the targeted player character is KilledOffForReal. You lose not only the ability to play as the dead character, [[SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear but you lose everything that character owned as well]], you will only be able to hang out with Lamar at night thanks to Stretch putting a hit on him, and Jimmy will stop hanging out with either Michael or Franklin and Trevor depending on who is killed. In addition, if you killed Michael, then his cut will completely disappear while Trevor's will be split between the surviving two should he be killed. In stark contrast, the third option, the GoldenEnding, spares both Trevor and Michael and has no negative gameplay downsides whatsoever.]]
* Wendy's route in ''VideoGame/GrowingUp'' has two possible good endings, but the better of the two, where [[spoiler:her family wholeheartedly supports her passion for makeup and special effects and she gets the Red Carpet Movie Award for it]], requires you to date her.
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'':
** ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'' heavily implies that Ellie is the canon bachelorette by having [[spoiler:Ellen's death]] only occur if you marry her. The Japan-only strategy guide (which features a lot of [[AllThereInTheManual extra tidbits not found in the game]]) also confirms that Pete marries Ellen.
** ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'' has Celia fall for you on default. It doesn't help that it's incredibly easy to get her to like you because she gains love points when you ''buy seeds from Vesta's farm''. Despite this, the Wiiware spinoff title implies that Mark married Muffy and has a son with her. The DistaffCounterpart ''A Wonderful Life'' has Rock, who will propose to you even if you avoid all the bachelors.
* ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'':
** ''Completing the Mission'' has the secret base of the Toppat Clan as its title screen, and all of its routes either deal with it, the train leading to it, or the satellite that's launched from it...with the exception of [[spoiler:''Toppat Civil War'']], which doesn't involve it at all, and also ends on a {{Cliffhanger}}.
** The ''Pure-Blooded Thief'' ending from ''Infiltrating the Airship'' has only 3 possible branches in ''Completing the Mission'' compared to 4 branches for each of the other 3 ''Airship'' endings. This is because ''Pure-Blooded Thief'' is the only ''Airship'' ending in which Henry didn't side with the Government or Toppat Clan and thus it wouldn't make logical sense for ''Pure-Blooded Thief'' to continue into ''Fleeing the Complex'''s Government-based or Toppat-based endings. It's also the only ''Airship'' ending that doesn't have a 6-choices-long path (each ''Mission'' path has between 3 and 6 choices, so 6 choices is the maximum number for one) in ''Mission'', whereas the other 3 ''Airship'' endings each have one.
* ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'' has a "short path" and a "long path", in which more people are helped and will show up at the wedding. This is the path chosen by the official {{Novelization}}. See the entry at GoldenEnding. Regardless of the path chosen, you have a secret conversation with Princess Cassima, locked in her room. In the "short path," the conversation is held [[http://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/7/75/KQ6_Castle_Hallway_Outside_Cassima%27s_Room.png from outside her door]]. In the "long path," it's held [[http://www.sierraclassicgaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/kq6_cassima.png from within the walls themselves]].
* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' features this with one of then endings. [[spoiler:If you sacrifice Chloe, they (maybe) get TheBigDamnKiss, and the player is presented to a touching, mournful, and emotional slideshow and funeral scene showing the aftermath of Chloe's death and ending on a very slightly hopeful note. If you choose to Sacrifice Arcadia Bay, Max and Chloe watch as the tornado destroys the town, they drive through it and exit to parts unknown, and that's it - it's much shorter in content, and it doesn't tell players anything about who survived the storm. WordOfGod says that the ambiguity about who survived and where Max and Chloe go next is intentional, and it's up to the players to decide those things for themselves. They have also said that the finale episode was made on a more limited budget and so they had to choose an ending to focus the majority of their time and money on.]]
** Despite this, it's the [[spoiler:sacrifice Arcadia Bay]] ending that got a spinoff comic, rather than the [[spoiler:sacrifice Chloe]] ending, and both endings can be referenced in ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange2'', meaning they weren't lying when they said it was for a pragmatic reason rather than true favoritism.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', oddly, seems to slightly prefer the "bad" Ending B to the "good" and canonical Ending A. In Ending B, both Otacon and Meryl's character developments are finished off better (with Otacon rising to his role as Snake's equal, and the truth behind Meryl's background being revealed), and Snake's is more interesting as he is allowed to have a [[HeroicBSOD visible breakdown]] after Meryl's death which Otacon has to talk him out of. Snake and Otacon's conversation is more plot-relevant, focusing on their feelings about the events that have happened, their career plans, and their feelings about Naomi, while Snake and Meryl instead talk about their newfound love and think about the beauty of Alaska. The plot even makes somewhat more sense, as in Ending B, the implication is that Liquid attached Meryl's corpse to a fake bomb and posed her to make sure she seems alive, but in Ending A Snake merely goes to Meryl and the bomb is forgotten about. Even the NewGamePlus item Otacon gives to Snake is ''significantly'' more [[GameBreaker powerful]] than Meryl's, which is nearly useless. ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' borrows much more from Ending B than from Ending A, omitting Meryl and having Snake and Otacon's Ending B realization that they are meant to "[[HeterosexualLifePartners take a trip to Jupiter]]" as part of the unspoken backstory.
* ''VideoGame/ParadiseKiller'' is an investigation simulator that allows you to make a case against various characters...but pinning it all on the obvious suspect, Henry, leads to the least amount of character development.
* ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' plays this trope straight, where although the game features up to 11 different endings ranging from Evil to Neutral to Good; only the hidden Neutral ending against the obvious BigBad is considered to be the games GoldenEnding from the creator standpoint.
* ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' has several endings, but a 10-Star end ranking requires either the Rebirth Ending, or, hilariously enough, the Dog Ending. (A joke GainaxEnding, for those who don' know) The four ritual items needed for the Rebirth ending are also required for a 10-Star rank, giving that ending slightly more weight than the others.
* ''[[VideoGame/SilentHill4 Silent Hill 4: The Room]]''’s "'''21 Sacraments'''" ending is unequivocally a DownerEnding…but by Samael, is it ''easily'' the [[ItsAWonderfulFailure most interesting]] of the four, as well as the longest and the one that best fits the game's overall tone. [[spoiler:The ending can be achieved if the player neither cleanses at least a fifth of Room 302's hauntings, nor finishes the final boss fight in time to save a possessed Eileen from [[UnflinchingWalk walking to her death]] (at which she quickly succeeds if the player performed terribly at an [[TooDumbToLive equally]] [[ArtificialStupidity terrible]] [[EscortMission escort mission]]). It starts with Walter [[FauxDeath faking the dramatic death scene]] standard to all four endings (including the hushed [[IWantMyMommy cry for "Mom"]] as he reaches out to her). However, instead of the normally ensuing earthquake -- no, wait, ''[[WorldSundering dream]]''[[WorldSundering quake?]] -- Henry's [[ImHavingSoulPains convenient debilitating headaches]] return [[UpToEleven at full blast]]…only for his misery to suddenly and suspiciously end. Henry stands up to fathom the [[BeautifulVoid vast nothingness]] around him. Back in the real world, both manifestations of Walter's spirit have entered Room 302; and while little Walter is off [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas hugging the furniture]], adult Walter just stands there, left to wonder…''[[AllThatGlitters Is this it?]]'' In the background of the [[ImmortalityHurts disappointment of this eternity]], a radio news anchor confirms the deaths of Eileen and Henry; announces that Frank the superintendent has also been found dead; and adds that all surviving tenants of the South Ashfield Heights apartment complex have been rushed to the hospital, complaining of [[ImHavingSoulPains severe chest pains]]—just like [[WhenItAllBegan ten years ago]].]] Contrast the other three endings, in which either [[spoiler:Eileen and Henry [[GoldenEnding make it out together]]]]; [[spoiler:Eileen and Henry make it out together, but she ''[[AssPull somehow]]'' wants to return to the cursed apartment building (which is [[NotQuiteBackToNormal very much still cursed]])]]; or [[spoiler:[[BittersweetEnding Henry gets out alone]] and is left to mourn Eileen's death, confirmed by the same radio anchor as in "21 Sacraments"]].
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' series, you can choose your gender, but promotional material and even some in-game lore always suggests that the female Inkling/Octoling was the canon heroine of any given story campaign.
* While ''VideoGame/StarcraftIIWingsOfLiberty'' does a good job avoiding favoritism on the first two times you have to make a choice, it definitely drops the ball the third time. Before the final mission, you're given the option to disable either the Zerg's Nydus Worms, or deprive them of their air force. The former mission involves taking Raynor and other three heroes, all with unique abilities, through Char's underground cave network, battling zergs in a rather imaginative scenarios, ending with a challenging boss fight, while enjoying plenty of fun banter from the heroes. The latter mission is a rather dull "destroy all bases" macro mission with hardly any dialogue, with only an optional boss to spice things up. Though, ironically, while the first mission is way more fun, the benefits of doing the second mission are ''much'' greater.
** Done with subtlety in the finale of ''VideoGame/StarcraftIILegacyOfTheVoid'', during its epilogue campaign where you play as each race for each of its three missions, all with a set selection of units and upgrades. The first one with the Protoss is easy to ignore as unit selection can normally be changed on the fly during its regular campaign. The next one, with the Terrans, have some unit and upgrade selections that imply that certain events took place, such as having Spectres over Ghosts which would suggest that Raynor sided with Tosh during ''Wings of Liberty''. Then again, it tends to bend the rules in some instances providing mutually exclusive upgrades being paired together (such as the Bunker's upgrades) or having neither option being available (neither the Hercules nor the Predator can be produced here). The finale, with the Zerg, also has a preset for unit evolutions, namely mass-producing Zerglings, Brood Lords, and Torrasque Ultralisks even if you opted to pick different evolutions during ''Heart of the Swarm''. All of the above selections were tailor-made for the mission objective at hand, as they are NintendoHard.
* ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' presents the choice to the player of either [[SavingTheOrphanage restoring the Community Center]] by fulfilling the requested bundles from the [[NatureSpirit forest spirits]] that had taken residence there, or siding with the [[MegaCorp Joja Corporation]] who will turn it into a warehouse and paying in cash to them for the town's upgrades. The later option only rewards the player with a soda vending machine, in contrast with the former which gives more rewards and friendship with the rest of the villagers; in addition it doesn't make a lot of sense for the player character to join with Joja Corp, considering that [[DefectorFromDecadence he was already a white-collared employee of them who grew disillusioned with their life and their job]] and thus [[CallToAgriculture choose to live on a Farm]].

!!Non-video game examples

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Played with in Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' series, where writers were able to print several stories based on [[AlternateHistory Alternate Histories]] of the established canon. Although most of these were standalone stories, popular entries such as ''ComicBook/SpiderGirl'' gained their own series in time. Also, the majority of ''What If?'' stories seem to end tragically, even (or indeed, especially) if the point of divergence from established canon seems like an obviously beneficial one, in a rather {{Anvilicious}} declaration that even the most unpopular story developments of the main universe were [[BestOfAllPossibleWorlds for the best]].

[[folder:Film]]
* In the gimmick film ''Film/MrSardonicus'' just before the end, producer Creator/WilliamCastle appears and asks the audience to hold up cards so as to [[MultipleEndings vote for whether Sardonicus lives or dies]]…but Castle only filmed one ending, assuming (correctly) that [[HumansAreBastards the audience would always choose death]].
* The C Ending for ''Film/{{Clue}}'' was the original ending, and features the most flashbacks (and makes the most sense). On home video and television, when all the endings are shown, this one is given a title card that says it's what ''really'' happened.

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/ToBeOrNotToBeThatIsTheAdventure'' is a choose-your-own-adventure adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' which allows you to choose between playing as Hamlet, Ophelia, or Hamlet Sr. (the king). But King Hamlet the Elder has an exceptionally short storyline, all branches of which can be read in full in less than an hour.

CuttingOffTheBranches is a SisterTrope, which can be an ultimate expression of Story Branch Favoritism, wherein the author outright removes the unfavored branches from later continuity. Related tropes also include {{Railroading}} and FollowThePlottedLine, where the writer forces a character to follow a specific path regardless to what other options are available. A GoldenPath can be one of the most noticeable consequences of this trope. When this trope is applied to a RomanceSidequest, that's the DevelopersDesiredDate.

*** Excluding ''Revelation'', the game heavily favors ''Birthright'' over ''Conquest''. Corrin character has a more justified reason for siding with Hoshido, the main antagonist is Garon, a HateSink, and the Nohrian siblings are more conflicted about fighting the Avatar than the Hoshidan siblings are in ''Conquest''.

*** Just like Robin and Corrin before them, in each route [[PlayerCharacter Byleth]] get's a heavy amount of ShipTease with the route's respective lord. [[spoiler:This also includes Rhea on Silver Snow as her survival depends on whether or not her support rank is high enough.]]
*** While each route has a reason to play it, the Azure Moon route looks to have gotten somewhat more love an attention from the developers. Gameplay-wise, it has the most exclusive characters, the most paralogues, and the most exclusive weapons; moreover, it's the only route where all of the Heroes' Relics can be obtained, plus it's the only route to include a support conversation that gives a usable weapon. Narratively, the conflicts in the first part of the game, when they concern one country rather than another, all spin out of the Kingdom and have personal connections with Blue Lion students - Sylvain's brother leads a gang which introduces the player to Demonic Beasts, Ashe's adoptive father launches a rebellion, and Mercedes and Dimitri turn out to have complicated personal connections to the Death Knight and the Flame Emperor respectively. The Blue Lions also get an exclusive dialogue scene between Byleth and Dimitri at the ball, an extended version of the scene where the Flame Emperor meets with Thales and [[spoiler:Monica]], and flashbacks using character models and voice actors found nowhere else in the game. All the Blue Lions get exclusive, bespoke endings in their route, while all the other routes share a common pool of endings (with some minor rewrites for a few characters if the player sides with the Empire). Finally it's also the only route where more than one of the game's lords survive, as [[spoiler:Claude gives his relic and the Leicester Alliance to Dimitri with the implication that he's going back Almyra]]. It's also the only route that guarantees [[spoiler:Rhea's survival with less than a full Support, due to her being TheGhost of Azure Moon]].
* In the H-game ''Legend of Queen Opala'', the good route is the main one, giving you more areas to travel through, chances to fight Sir Edward, and learn more about ''why'' Osira is doing what she's doing. The evil route was sort of an afterthought; you get different sex scenes, capture the Queens, and then do the final quest of the Good side in reverse (requiring a lot of grinding just to get out of Osira's palace, which is normally the endgame dungeon), before battling the final boss of Osira's route. [[spoiler: ''However'', the player can only become Pharaoh on the evil route, through a GuideDangIt method that allows him to [[ICanRuleAlone betray Osira]] and claim all three royals as his concubines and party members.]] The Good route is also [[CuttingOffTheBranches canon for the second game]].

*** ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'' is not as extreme as other games in the series, as all the endings the same length in story time and each one has a relatively decent ending, but the [[spoiler: ResetButton ending]] is quite clearly the favored option by the story. Its the only one where you get almost the entire party (sans one who cannot be recruited except on his route), both sides of the conflict, Yamato and Ronaldo, put aside their differences to work together to defeat the BigBad [[spoiler: Polaris]], and all the characters get happier lives when its over than before. The ''Record Breaker'' version even uses it as a rough base for the storyline of its chapter, the only difference being the presence of the entire cast, even the one who normally can not be recruited.

** From the same game any of the party can be chosen as Lloyd's soul mate (not always but often a romantic relationship) based on who has the highest [[RelationshipValues Affection]] for Lloyd. However the game favours Colette for this role. While every other party member starts with an Affection score of 0 Colette starts with an Affection score of 500. She also has more chances to increase this score and less chances to reduce it than any other character. Colette also has more scenes alone with Lloyd than the other party members [[spoiler: and the final cutscene is with her and Lloyd even if she isn't his soul mate.]]
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' has two storylines, Jude's and Milla's. Jude's has far more content, however, while Milla's seems intended for a second playthrough. This is most noticeable at the end of the third act of the game, where [[spoiler: Milla is presumed dead.]] Jude's story goes on to feature a very significant DuelBoss fight, followed by a fight with Gaius, then [[spoiler: Presa and Agria's]] deaths, and a three-phase boss fight with [[spoiler: the real Maxwell]]. All of this happens offscreen on Milla's path, which instead consists of her wandering through the Spirit World for a while (essentially a very long NoGearLevel with her as your sole party member) with very little interaction due to the lack of {{Non Player Character}}s and [[spoiler: her becoming an EmptyShell]]. While Milla gets her own DuelBoss fight, it's an extremely [[ThatOneBoss frustrating one]], and she only comes back during the last phase of Jude's ClimaxBoss. It's actually not possible to get the "Religious Skit Viewer" trophy on Milla's path, as there simply aren't enough skits for her to see.

*** Played straight with the Landsmeet. While Alistair's fate is determined by player choices there, post-''Origins'' he's portrayed as the sole ruler of Ferelden in supplemental materials, and King Alistair gets more content in his ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' cameo than either Warden Alistair or Drunk!Alistair. By contrast, if Anora remains queen at the Landsmeet (either on her own or [[TakeAThirdOption married to him]]), she'll get PutOnABus in the sequels (along with Loghain if he survived ''Origins''), and isn't seen again until a very small cameo in ''Inquisition''. That game zig zags it though: King Alistair only makes the same very small cameo (though he's also referenced more in codex entries and incidental NPC chatter than Anora), while Warden Alistair has a substantial role in one of the main plot lines. [[spoiler: It comes at the cost of the player having to choose between saving him and their ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' PC in the Fade. If Warden Loghain is around instead he's the one in this role.]]

*** It decides the fate of Grand Enchanter Fiona, a returning character from the novels (and secretly [[spoiler: Alistair's mother]]), either having her join you in the Mage path or killing her as a minor boss with almost no dialog in the Templar path.
*** There is significantly more special content for a Dalish Inquisitor than there is for any other background. Which isn't surprising given how much of the plot explores elvish history. Solas especially is much more open and straightforward with an Elf, and his romance is the only one that only one race can pursue. Plus an elf gets to [[spoiler: yell a lot when they meet two of their gods and find out that their entire ReligionIsWrong]], which is nice. In addition, being a female elf also means you have the most romantic options available to you than any other race/gender combo in the game, as you get access to Blackwall, Solas, Sera, Iron Bull, Cullen, and Josephine.

** It makes much more sense story-wise to complete Noveria last since Virmire is added as an emergency mission after completing two storyline missions, also the piece of intel gathered in Noveria ([[spoiler: the location of the Mu relay]]) would narrow down tremendously the location of the Conduit (this can be handwaved by saying that [[spoiler: the Mu relay transports to many systems]], but it is clear that with a little extra research they would have been able to deduce the location eventually.)

** In ''Mass Effect 3'', the krogans, quarians and geth are playable races in multiplayer even though in singleplayer [[spoiler: you can lose krogan support by betraying Wrex; furthermore, the game assumes you've achieved peace between the quarians and geth as failing that would result in one of the races being wiped out]].

** While there are several possible ways for the first boss fight to go, the game, through its tutorials and mechanics, heavily nudges the player into accidentally killing Toriel, then re-loading and sparing her, as this leads to a WhamLine right afterwards that reveals [[spoiler: Flowey knows about your ability to SAVE and re-load, and that SAVING is an in-story concept as well as a game mechanic.]]
* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' has multiple endings: you can side with the Anarchs, the Camarilla, Lacroix, Ming Xiao, or go independent and blow all of them off. Siding with either Lacroix or Ming Xiao nets you [[spoiler: little more than two different [[NonStandardGameOver Non-Standard Game Overs]] ]]. Siding with the Camarilla is available, but since your main contacts with the Camarilla consist of Lacroix (who is actively trying to get you killed) and Strauss (who is pleasant enough, but doesn't do very much in the game and comes across as a bit condescending), the justifications for doing so aren't particularly strong. The Anarchs, by contrast, save your life repeatedly and allow you an abundance of opportunities for helpful interaction, beginning with Smiling Jack guiding you through the tutorial. Finally, only the Anarch and Independent endings allow you to [[spoiler: properly savor [[SmugSnake Lacroix's]] LaserGuidedKarma when he opens the sarcophagus.]] It isn't difficult to decipher which faction the developers were expecting most people to side with. Things do get a little more even (but only a little) if you play a Tremere character, as Strauss (a Tremere himself) has a bit more advice and gives you a nice apartment to live in[[note]]other Clans get another apartment from Lacroix, but where Strauss' help has strong overtones of 'I believe it would be useful to be your ally' Lacroix' is more 'I have to do this for political reasons'[[/note]].

* In Chapter 2 of ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie'', there are two situations in which you have to decide between the lives of two characters: [[spoiler: [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Reko Yabusame]] and [[CowardlyLion Alice Yabusame]]]] in the former, and [[spoiler: [[ShrinkingViolet Kanna Kizuchi]] and [[WildCard Sou Hiyori]]]] in the latter. While the first case is fairly impartial towards both potential survivors, the second case clearly favors one survivor:
** In the first case, it is ZigZagged. [[spoiler: On one hand, deliberately allowing Reko to die in order to save Alice's life grants more plot-relevant information in the long term, including {{Foreshadowing}} about [[PoisonousFriend Midori]], and has Reko be TogetherInDeath with Nao, whereas Alice doesn't. On the other hand, Alice's potential death is treated with much more fanfare than that of Reko's, and helping Alice retrieve his sister's bongos only gives a bonus scene should he be the one to die]].

*** Played straight with the Landsmeet. While Alistair's fate is determined by player choices there, post-''Origins'' he's portrayed as the sole ruler of Ferelden in supplemental materials, and King Alistair gets more content in his ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' cameo than either Warden Alistair or Drunk!Alistair. By contrast, if Anora remains queen at the Landsmeet (either on her own or [[TakeAThirdOption married to him]]), she she'll get PutOnABus in the sequels (along with Loghain if he survived ''Origins''), and isn't seen again until a very small cameo in ''Inquisition''. That game zig zags it though: King Alistair only makes the same very small cameo (though he's also referenced more in codex entries and incidental NPC chatter than Anora), while Warden Alistair has a substantial role in one of the main plot lines. [[spoiler: It comes at the cost of the player having to choose between saving him and their ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' PC in the Fade. If Warden Loghain is around instead he's the one in this role.]]

* ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' presents the choice to the player of either [[SaveTheOrphanage restoring the Community Center]] by fulfilling the requested bundles from the [[NatureSpirit forest spirits]] that had taken residence there, or siding with the [[MegaCorp Joja Corporation]] who will turn it into a warehouse and paying in cash to them for the town's upgrades. The later option only rewards the player with a soda vending machine, in contrast with the former which gives more rewards and friendship with the rest of the villagers; in addition it doesn't make a lot of sense for the player character to join with Joja Corp, considering that [[DefectorFromDecadence he was already a white-collared employee of them who grew disillusioned with their life and their job]] and thus [[CallToAgriculture choose to live on a Farm]].

*** Similarly to ''Awakening'', the [[PlayerCharacter Male Corrin's]] romance options heavily favor Azura. While not as blatant as Chrom and Female Robin, the two get plenty of ShipTease throughout the game, ''especially'' in the ''Birthright'' route where [[spoiler:Azura gets to spend her final moments with him, regardless of whether she married someone else]]. This pairing also has a bit of convenience on ''Revelation'' with [[spoiler:Azura being Valla's rightful princess, so Male Corrin and Azura have the potential to be Valla's RuleingCouple]]. Otherwise she simply [[spoiler:[[AbdicateTheThrone abdicates to Corrin]].]]

** While both Chris and Jill's scenarios in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' are pretty fleshed out, their partner characters aren't developed equally. Jill gets Barry, who is established as married man with two daughters, acts a bit strange throughout the adventure, and the source of Barry's strange behavior is from [[BigBad Wesker]] blackmailing him by using his family as hostages. Should Barry die, he leaves behind a tear jerking letter addressed to his family. Barry can also potentially save Jill twice (from the ceiling trap and cutting the fight against Plant 42 short). Barry also has many [[NarmCharm cheesy lines]] that make his character stand out more. Meanwhile, Chris gets Rebecca, whose only memorable moment is her being attacked by a Hunter and being killed by it if you don't save her in time. Unlike Barry's death, Rebecca's death scene has Chris react in a [[NarmCharm goofy way]] and then quickly gets over it. While Rebecca is playable twice in Chris's story, she has far less screen time than Barry and has a sparse background which only establishes her as being an accomplished medic at [[ImprobableAge 18 years old.]] When it comes to finding Enrico, he tells Jill that someone is betraying their team and then he gets shot for his trouble. When Chris finds him, Enrico accuses him of being a double crosser before being shot by the actual traitor, which gives nothing for Chris to go on. The remake keeps these elements pretty much the same, but with less {{Narm}}.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'' only has slight variations to certain cutscenes, but some of them are more fleshed out than others. In the town's pharmaceutical building, a dying mercenary is encountered and either Nicolai or Carlos kill him. If Nicolai kills him, Jill is left wondering why he'd kill a still conscious man while Nicolai justifies it by saying [[ZombieInfectee he was infected]] and killing him now would save him a few bullets later. if Carlos kills the man, he [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill unloads an entire magazine from his assault rifle]] into him ([[MercyKill though he did ask to be killed before turning]]) before running off. Depending on how you approach the hospital later on, you either encounter a mercenary that foreshadows Nicoali's betrayal or you run into Nicolai who shoots the man and is about to shoot Carlos before the mercenary unpins a grenade in a [[TakingYouWithMe last ditch attempt to get back at Nicolai]]. Nicoali's final cutscenes are more fleshed out if he gets to explain his motives, but in the scene where he shoots at Jill from his helicopter, he won't talk if you decide to shoot the chopper down.
* Happened in ''Videogame/WingCommander 4'' via over-promising in the advertising. Supposedly players would be allowed to choose whether to stay loyal to the Terran Confederation or jump ship and ally themselves with the Border Worlds. In practice, attempting to stick with Confed past a certain point would spawn a never-ending supply of Border World bombers, and a insultingly short ending sequence once they inevitably killed you.

*** This appears again when you get to determine the ending, and this time the game gives you very, ''very'' harsh penalties if you pick any ending but the GoldenEnding. [[spoiler:Franklin is given three options at the end of the game, two of them involving assassinating one of the other two {{Player Character}}s, Trevor or Michael. Pick either of these two options, and the targeted player character is KilledOffForReal. You lose not only the ability to play as the dead character, [[SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear but you lose everything that character owned as well.]] In stark contrast, the third option, the GoldenEnding, spares both Trevor and Michael and has no negative gameplay downsides whatsoever.]]

*** For players just entering the franchise at the third instalment, Yennifer of Vengeberg can seem like a forced love interest, constantly belittling Geralt and making you wonder what they ever saw in each other. You can later meet and romance Triss, but on subsequent meetings with Yen there is no option to break it off with her (until much later). Other [=NPCs=] also ask about Yen and continue to assume you are together, and no option is given for you to correct them. Triss also gets far fewer lines with Geralt, often just a "huh" or "yes", and she doesn't show up at Kaer Morhen until much later. Of course, Yen is the canonical love interest in the books, so it's somewhat understandable. On the other hand, one must romance Triss in order to unlock the Full Crew achievement for getting all of your main allies together to Kaer Morhen, as [[spoiler:she will leave with the other mages at the end of her story arc for good]] if you don't.

*** Inverted in the case of the Bretons. They are uniquely largely free of any racial pros or cons due to story or unique dialogue. No {{Non Player Character}}s hate them, but no one thinks anything special of them either, aside from two instances in the entire game: a quest where players replace a reclusive chef that is a master of Breton cuisine (the original is an Orc, but as no one knows this, your assistant for the quest casually remarks that of course you're a Breton, what else could you be!) and having average ability to disguise themselves as a Thalmor. (Being humans with Elvish ancestors allows them to pass for an elf at a distance as long as their hood is up)

* The first ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'' has several potential ally commanders in the final battle depending on which path you took to get there, but having Eagle on your side (use Sami for all the Green Earth missions) is given a bit more weight than the others: it's the only option that unlocks a special BonusBoss mission afterwards, he overrides all other options for the 3rd CO and his route is the only one to give closure to the Eagle/Andy rivalry subplot. Future games would give Eagle ShipTease with Sami, which follows on from her branch of the Green Earth missions.

* Wendy's route in ''VideoGame/GrowingUp'' has two possible good endings, but the better of the two, where [[spoiler:her family wholeheartedly supports her passion for makeup and special effects and she gets the Red Carpet Movie Award for it]], requires your to date her.

In a story that allows for some degree of StoryBranching, a character is presented with a clear number of choices each with their own viable outcomes. However, one of these options sometimes appears to be substantially more developed than the others or appears to coincide better with the plot as a whole, as if the author wanted the players to follow this path and added all others as [[RedHerring mere diversions]]. This is an example of Story Branch Favoritism on the developer's part, where a particular branch of the story features more content or is better developed than others--but does ''not'' [[CuttingOffTheBranches render any of the other branches non-canon]].

** In the first case, it is ZigZagged. [[spoiler: On one hand, deliberately allowing Reko to die in order to save Alice's life grants more plot-relevant information, including {{Foreshadowing}} about [[PoisonousFriend Midori]], and has Reko be TogetherInDeath with Nao, whereas Alice doesn't. On the other hand, Alice's potential death is treated with much more fanfare than that of Reko's, and completing the bongo sidequest only gives a bonus scene should Alice be the one to die]].

** ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'': In ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and, to a much lesser degree, ''VideoGame/Persona4'', certain characters will show romantic interest in the protagonist during the story, contrary to the rest of the cast, who only will only show a romantic interest in the player [[GameplayAndStorySegregation during their Social Links and in specific in-game events]].

*** While each route has a reason to play it, the Azure Moon route looks to have gotten somewhat more love an attention from the developers. Gameplay-wise, it has the most exclusive characters, the most paralogues, and the most exclusive weapons; moreover, it's the only route where all of the Heroes' Relics can be obtained, plus it's the only route to include a support conversation that gives a usable weapon. Narratively, the conflicts in the first part of the game, when they concern one country rather than another, all spin out of the Kingdom and have personal connections with Blue Lion students - Sylvain's brother leads a gang which introduces the player to Demonic Beasts, Ashe's adoptive father launches a rebellion, and Mercedes and Dimitri turn out to have complicated personal connections to the Death Knight and the Flame Emperor respectively. The Blue Lions also get an exclusive dialogue scene between Byleth and Dimitri at the ball, an extended version of the scene where the Flame Emperor meets with Thales and [[spoiler:Monica]], and flashbacks using character models and voice actors found nowhere else in the game. All the Blue Lions get exclusive, bespoke endings in their route, while all the other routes share a common pool of endings (with some minor rewrites for a few characters if the player sides with the Empire). Finally it's also the only route where more than one of the game's lords survive. [[spoiler:Claude give's his relic and the Leicester Alliance to Dimitri with the implication that he's going back Almyra. It's also the only route that implies Rhea's guaranteed survival due to being TheGhost of Azure Moon.]]