I think the trope description is clear but many of the examples don't fit with the description, possibly because the trope is too narrow to allow for many examples or the trope name needs to be changed. The criteria as I see it seems to be:
1) You're given a choice of characters prior to some scenario, be it a battle, level, etc. The scenario can't be the entire game. You should be given periodic opportunities to choose from a pool of characters.
2) Any character could theoretically beat the level, but one character has a clear advantage, gimmick, etc. over the others that makes the level easy to beat for them, and much more difficult (or possibly impossible) for other characters.
This ends up creating a very narrow set of criteria that a game pretty much has to be designed around to be met instead of incidentally being included into a game's mechanics.
I think the trope could be flexible though and rewritten to more clearly allow games where there is character select but due to the game's design, it makes picking a certain character more appealing because it makes the game easier at certain parts of the game.
edited 9th Jun '18 10:15:23 PM by YourIdeas
Clock is set.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
That seems to be quite different from what is on the page, also it does not match the trope name.
The name sounds like where you choose and/or customize a character but then some point in the level (or whatever) you switch to a different prexisting character.
Yours just sounds like Character Specific Secrets and paths.
Clock is up; closing for inactivity/lack of consensus. No action is to be taken on the basis of this thread.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
The criterion for the trope to apply is unclear.
In any game with alternative characters with different abilities, some levels will be easier or harder depending on how well they synergize with the character's abilities. Besides, the difficulty also depends on how well the player can put the abilities to use, making it subjective.
The examples given are essentially random games with character select. The leading one even openly admits that the difference isn't so great.
I'm not aware of any games where picking any character makes a level outright unwinnable, so if that's a criterion, this is not a trope at all.
A possible objective criterion to choose is the one from the Wing Commander example: if the player is explicitly rewarded or penalized for making specific character choices.
edited 5th Apr '18 3:55:55 AM by __Vano