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What’s better: Improvised environmental weapons, or skipping across a timeline flowchart?Vote now!
Vote now!
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Sega
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Sega
Improvised environmental weapons
In a far more seamful manner, I did enjoy improvised weapons in 2008’s Alone In The Dark (the game withthe coolest inventory system). Grab a chair or plank of wood, carefully manoeuvre it into a fire without setting yourself ablaze, then batter monsters with your burning junk.
More recently, I adore how much swashbuckle ‘em upEn Garde!lets you kick crates and tables at people, throw pots on their head, and all sorts of other foolishness.
Now, outside of games which run on complex physics simulations, you could argue that all these are not improvised weapons. It’s not an accident that you can batter people with bikes. The developers definitely wanted you to thunk mooks with traffic cones. But consider this counterpoint, killjoy: I will hit you with an office chair, and what will you do about that?
And let’s not forget the funniest improvised weapon: running a gunman over with your car.
Skipping across a timeline flowchart
Many games have you make decisions that, whether you know it or not, will cause timelines to branch. Do X now and Y won’t happen later. Miss out on Z and something terrible will happen. But what if you want to revisit those decisions, try again, see what else might happen, see everything that might happen? Have fun saving before every crucial decision then replaying hours of game, I guess! Unless… what if the entire branching timeline were laid out on a flowchart, and you could skip to crucial points whenever you wanted? My friend, all of time will be yours to enjoy.
The timeline in Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma |Image credit:Spike Chunsoft
I mostly know this from weird murder mystery seriesAI: The Somnium Files, though I understand the Zero Hour games are all about that timeline too. In these games, it’s vital to explore branches to uncover more options and ultimately reach the actual truth. I cannot imagine these games if you had to replay everything up to the branching point.
I wish other genres and games offered this too. Sure, ideally I do want to experience a playthrough as a complete story I am fully submerged in. I have played whole games over (and even series, with The Witcher andMass Effect) to see what would happen if I made different decisions. But developers must know that many players will alt-tab out to Google guides for the ‘best’ decision, or skip to YouTube to watch the events of alternate branches. Make the flowchart unlock after completing the game once, if you must, but please do offer it.
But which is better?
I really would like to see timeline flowcharts in more games, but then I think of my best dad and… but what do you think, reader dear?
