Current Events > I'd like to see more non-linear storytelling in games

(+) Yeah! (+)

I really like when pieces of media screw around with structure. Breaking Bad offered a lot of examples of this: episodes that started with a scene out of context from the aftermath of the events you're about to watch, the airplane crash hinted to throughout season 2. Catch-22, as another example, is one of my favorite books because of its nonlinear structure. It can be a really powerful storytelling device because it naturally invites curiosity about how what you're seeing came about, or how events tie together.

But I can't say I've seen many examples of this in video games. Increasingly we see non-linear gameplay: the appeal of many open-world games is the freedom to pick what order you go about things. BotW famously allows you to go straight to the final boss, if you're so bold.

I think part of the issue is the expectation of becoming more powerful as the game progresses. Nobody wants to feel less powerful at the end of the game than they did at the start. The most you might get is a game that starts in the heat of action, with a full slate of abilities, before those are taken away, but things generally proceed in chronological order from that point.

I don't have a good solution here, but it's something I'd like to see games explore more. Are there any good examples you guys can come up with?

Not a game but have you seen Memento?

__aCEr__ posted...

Not a game but have you seen Memento?

Yes; another good example

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

It's not exactly the same, but the multiple protagonists structure of Yakuza 0 does scratch a similar itch, yeah.

Some games have some kind of revelatory flashback in the middle that's hinted at throughout the beginning of the game

adventure games with no combat can get away with it. Played a few with non linear story.

Go watch 11:14 if you haven't.

Yeah idk if it's just too much of a pain or what, but I have yet to see any true non-linear game. Minor dialogue differences just change the following response and then it's back to normal story.

12 minutes and Outter Wilds did a good job with this. Granted, they're both time loop games so non-linear story telling is key.

The Zero Escape games are non-linear, dunno if you like visual novels though. It's worth checking out, the first two at least.

Katana Zero is also non-linear and its one of the best indie games of all time imo

Like Final Fantasy XIII?

Aegis Rim: 13 Sentinels is pretty much the king in this space