Line #57 Main/InteractiveStorytellingTropes


1	Storytelling tropes that are made possible by the nature of interactive media (VideoGames, VisualNovels, etc.). In other words, ways to tell stories that are unfeasible without a player actively shaping them.
2
3	Contrast pure gameplay tropes like VariousVideogameViews, VideoGameDifficultyTropes, VideoGameInterfaceElements, etc.
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5	----
6	!Narrative branching
7	Mutually exclusive events occur in the story, depending on the player's actions.
8
9	* '''StoryBranching'''\
10	SuperTrope: The story changes depending on the player's actions.
11	* AlgorithmicStoryBranching\
12	The game converts player decisions into numbers, crunches them, and branches the story based on the result.
13	* BigFirstChoice\
14	An early decision has massive impact on the entire rest of the story.
15	* BranchAndBottleneckPlotStructure\
16	The plot branches out, but all branches are merged back together into a linear section later.
17	* ChoiceAndConsequenceSystem\
18	A sub-system that tracks the player's plot decisions and dynamically branches the plot when said decisions become relevant later on.
19	* EventFlag\
20	The game records whether the player made a certain decision and alters later events accordingly.
21	* NeglectedSidequestConsequence\
22	An optional mission secretly has a big impact on future events if it was incomplete, delayed, or done incompetently.
23	* MultipleGameOpenings\
24	The prologue changes depending on the player's choices before starting the game.
25	* PromptlessBranchingPoint\
26	When story branching occurs without explicit prompts, through gameplay alone.
27	* SchrodingersGun\
28	The very premises of the story are changed depending on the player's actions.
29	* SchrodingersPlayerCharacter\
30	Depending on who you choose as your PlayerCharacter, the story will wrap itself around that character and not the others.
31	* StaticRoleExchangeableCharacter\
32	The key plot roles are always the same, but the player can assign different characters to play them.
33
34	!Narrative trimming
35	How story branching is invalidated, either by later canon or by only seemingly offering it.
36
37	* BlamedForBeingRailroaded\
38	The player or their character is admonished for doing something heinous, even though this was the only choice the player was allowed to make.
39	* ButThouMust\
40	Things that look like choices but actually enforce a certain direction.
41	* CuttingOffTheBranches\
42	There are multiple endings but only one of them is canon in later installments.
43	* MergingTheBranches\
44	A blend of several mutually exclusive story branches is declared canon by the sequels.
45	* NoCampaignForTheWicked\
46	The game ''could'' give the player an option to be evil but doesn't.
47	* NoCanonForTheWicked\
48	The player can choose to be evil but this path/ending is declared non-canon.
49	* {{Railroading}}\
50	The game ''could'' offer the player different paths but doesn't.
51	* ThirdOptionAdaptation\
52	A sequel or adaptation deals with multiple branches in the original by rejecting all of them and coming up with a new one.
53
54	!Variable endings
55	The story shows different outcomes depending on the player's actions.
56
57	* '''MultipleEndings'''\
58	SuperTrope: The ending changes depending on the player's actions.
59	* AlignmentBasedEndings\
60	Several endings based on a moral choice.
61	* EarnYourBadEnding\
62	A bad ending that's harder to get than the normal ending.
63	* FactionSpecificEndings\
64	Each major faction in the game gets an ending where it wins.
65	* GoldenEnding\
66	The best ending among multiple available.
67	* LastSecondEndingChoice\
68	The ending is determined entirely by a single choice near the end of the game.
69	* ModularEpilogue\
70	Not a continuous ending cutscene, but a sequence of short scenes that show the consequences of your choices.
71	* OmegaEnding\
72	The player must find all other endings to view this one.
73	* PhilosophicalChoiceEndings\
74	The ending choice lets the player take a stand on a philosophical or ethical issue.
75	* PlayableEpilogue\
76	The player is given a degree of control over the ending "cutscene".
77
78	!Narrative rearranging/re-sequencing
79	Same events occur in the story but the player can decide on the order of their occurrence or presentation.
80
81	* AnotherSideAnotherStory\
82	Play the story [[RashomonStyle from the perspective]] of two or more {{player character}}s.
83	* ArbitrarilySerializedSimultaneousAdventures\
84	The player decides in which order to experience simultaneous in-story events.
85	* GoldenPath\
86	The most rewarding set of player choices throughout the game.
87	* GottaCatchThemAll\
88	The player must collect all PlotCoupons but can decide in which order.
89	* RecollectionSidequest\
90	When an AmnesiacHero's backstory is uncovered piece by piece, usually in no particular order.
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92	!Narrative filigree
93	Some events only occur in the story if the player takes specific actions and are non-essential to overall plot.
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95	* CompanionSpecificSidequest\
96	Depending on which companions the player has recruited, they may or may not receive this side-quest.
97	* MatchMakerQuest\
98	A sidequest that involves the player playing matchmaker.
99	* OptionalCharacterScene\
100	Depending on the player's choice of companions, this scene may or may not occur.
101	* OptionalPartyMember\
102	It's up to you whether they join the group or not.
103	* OptionalSexualEncounter\
104	Depending on the player's actions, this explicit scene may or may not occur.
105	* PlotTunnel\
106	All non-essential plot activities are temporarily suspended during mandatory plot advancement.
107	* RomanceSidequest\
108	Optionally being able to date another character.
109	* SecretCharacter\
110	Most players have no idea this character even exists in the game, because finding them takes so much effort.
111	* {{Sidequest}}\
112	Depending on the player's choices, this episode may or may not occur. See also its subtropes.
113	* SidequestSidestory\
114	Depending on the player's choices, this story arc may or may not occur.
115	* StoryBreadcrumbs\
116	Entirely optional texts scattered around levels reveal the larger context of the gameplay--if the player reads them.
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118	!Interactive dialogue
119	Ways to make dialogue between in-game characters both interactive and natural-sounding.
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121	* DialogDuringGameplay\
122	Audio-only dialogue runs in parallel with the player's actions.
123	* DialogueTree\
124	The player can decide what and in which order to say in dialogues with [=NPCs=].
125	* EnemyChatter\
126	Mooks can talk with each other, as long as the player doesn't disturb them.
127	* KeywordsConversation\
128	A dialogue mode where the player inputs keywords to elicit a response from the NPC.
129	* SchrodingersQuestion\
130	An in-game decision is disguised as a quiz.
131
132	!Gameplay and story symbiosis
133	How narrative tropes and gameplay tropes co-exist in the same game.
134
135	* BossAlteringConsequence\
136	A boss's difficulty, moveset, or other aesthetics can be altered by the story choices made by the player or the objectives completed before or during the battle.
137	* EmergentNarrative\
138	A plot that emerges procedurally from gameplay mechanics and player actions.
139	* ExpositoryGameplayLimitation\
140	The player's gameplay abilities are temporarily restricted to focus their attention on the narration.
141	+ GameplayAndStorySegregation\
142	A SuperTrope of cases in which a game's narrative does not reflect its gameplay and vice versa. See also its subtropes.
143	* InjuredPlayerCharacterStage\
144	A player character gets injured in a game's storyline, which impacts their abilities in the subsequent gameplay sequence.
145	* NPCScheduling\
146	Non-player characters are characterized by having lives beyond only reacting to the player's actions.
147	* SlidingScaleOfGameplayAndStoryIntegration\
148	A SuperTrope of various ways of reinforcing the story through gameplay and vice versa.
149	* VideoGamesAndFate\
150	The strict linearity of a game's storyline is not used solely as a gameplay contrivance, but representative of the game's themes of fate and predestination.
151
152	!Meta-tropes
153
154	* DevelopersDesiredDate\
155	A game allows you to romance numerous potential options, but shills one or more of them at the expense of others.
156	* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame\
157	A game which features both story and gameplay, but the gameplay is largely overlooked by players in favour of the story.
158	* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory\
159	A game which features both story and gameplay, but the story is completely ignored by the players who concentrate on the gameplay.
160	* ScriptBreaking\
161	The player somehow breaks the predetermined story event sequence, introducing non-linearity where there possibly wasn't any before.
162	* StoryBranchFavoritism\
163	The creators put a lot more effort into some branches at the expense of the others--but they are all equally canon.
164	* StoryDifficultySetting\
165	When a game features a difficulty setting specifically catering to players who just want to experience the game's story.
166	* StoryToGameplayRatio\
167	How much time the player spends on pressing buttons vs. following the plot.

Context Main / InteractiveStorytellingTropes