Being a hero in games became more nuanced than the simple ‘find the final boss and save the day’ narratives that were the norm in earlier works. As the complexity of the technology grew, so too did the depth of the narrative. You are thrust into making choices that are not only difficult but come with long-lasting side effects through your play through.
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Other times, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty and do the thing other heroes aren’t cut out to do. Things that, if you continue down that road,will turn you into the villain and leave you with no winnersin the end. The road to hell is paved with good intentions after all.
7Choosing the Next Dwarven Successor - Dragon Age Origins
Politics can be complicated to navigateand a clash of passions, makes them tricky to navigate in real life, and choosing the next ruler of Orzammar in Dragon Age Origins, it’s equally tricky and slightly more murderous, depending on which side you cast your weight behind.
Harrowmont represents what is — tradition remains intact, and you please the noble class, which he hails from, while angering the common folk for making them feel like their needs are ignored. Bhalen stands on the notion that the caste system is oppressive, and keeps dwarven society from progressing. Fair, but his message is diminished by his murdering of his sibling and blaming it on another.
6Punching Cuno - Disco Elysium
Cumo is a kid who’s been dealt a pretty bad hand, even byDisco Elysium’s standards, so he knows how hard life can be,andjust happens to have vital information regarding your investigation. That doesn’t mean he’s just going to talk to a cop though, and you have to earn his trust through complex dialogue choices.
Of course, you could always just choose violence and punch the kid right in the face. It’s not as graceful as conversation, but it gets the job done and easily earns Cumo’s respect once you talk it out with him. The kid has more pressing issues than a broken cop with a good right hook, anyway.
5Choosing A Faction - Far Cry 4
Let’s face it, there’s no choice here that’s going to make you look good. The rebellion faction Golden Sun is split between two leaders, which never works out when it comes to power over a nation. On the one hand, Sabal wants to rain fire down on all their enemies in the name of peace, while Amita chooses to bring peace by way of child mules running substances. Neither outcome is ideal.
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You could always enjoy your dinner (with crab Rangoon of course) with Pagan Min, place your mother’s ashes in her final resting place, and shoot guns with the Totalitarian, but then you leave a country in constant conflict when you leave. Is it better to be inactive or active in this situation?
4Dealing With The Drug Dealer - Heavy Rain
The opinions of the gameHeavy Rainand Quantic Dream are fairly divisive, but what most people can agree on is Ethan’s journey has been one of pure cruelty. From having to cut off a finger to crawling over glass inside a labyrinth of vents, each test to receive a clue of his missing son’s whereabouts only increases in its demands as time ticks down to locate him.
In one task, Ethan is demanded to kill a drug dealer to get the next clue, but when he finds him, the dealer begins to beg for his life and tells you that he too is a father. On the one hand, he would be taking a dealer away from selling, on the other, he’d be taking a father away from his girls.
3Ending Starchild - Mass Effect 3
Any one of thethreefour choicesyou are presented at the end of Mass Effect 3 could be considered morally gray: Control hands Shepard the reigns over the reapers with highly dubious consequences at best, Destroy gets rid of the Reapers, but also your allies and all machine-life in the process, while Synthesis combines the existence of organic and machine against the will of many.
The fourth ending, though satisfying in the short term, presents more dire consequences for future generations. You are exercising your freedom to choose with the biggest middle finger you can give but at the cost of the present. Sure, there’s a chance that the next cycle of organics can defeat the reapers with the information left behind by Liara and company, but that’s not guaranteed. No matter which ending you choose, someone loses.
2Choosing Your Family - Fire Emblem Fates
War has raged between the kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr for centuries. Both represent conflicting beliefs in their worship of their respective dragon gods. The main character Corrin has been back and forth between enemy lines as a somewhat prisoner of war but ended up living with a family that truly cares for them, and they return that love as well.
However, Corrin is presented with an opportunity to return to the family from their homeland while on the battlefield. Neither side is evil, just differing ideologies, so the choice can’t come from simple morality. What’s worse is, once you make a decision, you then have to fight the family you’ve abandoned.
1Clementine’s Choice - Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead
Telltale’s The Walking Dead made it clear from the start you’re going to make some difficult, heart-wrenching decisions throughout your journey in rural Georgia. Clementine and protagonist Lee meet after he tries to find some temporary shelter away from the walkers inside her house. The duo quickly forms a bond that solidifies during your journey, depending on your choices.
So when Lee is subsequently bitten and starts to turn, he does what he can to keep her safe by handcuffing himself in a store He asks her to use the gun to end him before he turns, something that no eight-year-old should ever need to decide. She can decide to pull the trigger of course, but no one would blame her if she felt that she couldn’t go through with hurting Lee.
