The role of choice in video games can take player immersion into a story one step further by creating a newfound level of responsibility and a multitude of different experiences for players to unlock. Through the split-second decisions available in these games, players can unlock diverging quest paths and wildly different endings that make each playthrough unique. However, these decisions are even more interesting when concerning the ultimate fate of the characters, whether they are player-controlled or secondary party members.
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Some RPGs are filled with an array of choices that we have to decide on. Sometimes they matter quite a bit and other times they're just for show.
As players make moral decisions that affect which characters survive to see the credits roll, they can feel direct responsibility for what happens, perhaps even wanting to restart their playthrough to save whoever they may have doomed. For players looking for tense moral decisions of life-and-death, there are plenty of great games to choose from.
10 Project Zomboid
Apocalyptic Survival One Character After Another
Project Zomboid
- Released
- November 8, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- The Indie Stone
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Offering a glimpse into a post-apocalyptic world, Project Zomboid uses its sandbox gameplay mechanics to its advantage, allowing players to essentially create their own narratives as they cautiously explore its zombie-infested streets. In the game, death is permanent, meaning that players will have to create an entirely new character to control if they wish to keep playing.
It’s a fascinating mechanic, engaging players as they level up their survivors’ skills and manage stats like hunger and fatigue, and then emotionally breaking them when those characters meet an inevitably gruesome end. With a steep and unforgiving learning curve, Project Zomboid offers a great experience for new players to discover, with many protagonists lost along the way.
9 Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Looking Out For Students and House Leaders
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- Released
- July 26, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Intelligent Systems
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Praised for its polished turn-based combat, the Fire Emblem series is no stranger to permadeath, with the experience of permanently losing a character being a frequent one. Three Houses perfects this idea, making players think carefully about the characters and units they send out into battle, with the knowledge that they may not return.
As players spend time with the various house leaders and students, leveling up their skills and engaging in dialogue during the early half of the game, they establish deep connections with some great characters, which makes their permanent death on the battlefield even more emotional. Three Houses is a fantastic game that will have players resetting chapters, or even the whole game, just to keep their units alive.
8 The Quarry
Can Everyone Escape Hackett's Quarry?
The Quarry
- Released
- June 10, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mild Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Supermassive Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Taking clear inspiration from 80s horror classics, The Quarry sets itself up with a very familiar premise of teenage camp counselors running from unimaginable horrors, putting the player in direct control of how the story continues. Players’ main decisions come in the form of dialogue trees and quick time events, creating multiple narrative paths in which some or even all the characters can fall victim to the savage monsters in the forest.
With recognizable actors like David Arquette, Jordan Fisher, and Ariel Winter, and an interesting tarot card mechanic that teases future events for players to avoid or make a reality, The Quarry is a treat for any fan of classic slasher films willing to lose a few party members.
7 Darkest Dungeon
Send Adventurers Into The Depths
Darkest Dungeon
- Released
- January 19, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Providing a challenging roguelike experience, Darkest Dungeon takes players down through derelict estates and winding catacombs, each beautifully illustrated in a dark, gothic style. At the beginning of each run, players choose their group of heroes, each with their own stats, abilities, and classes (including the likes of Crusaders, Plague Doctors, and Jesters).
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Through its roguelike elements and permadeath functions, players can permanently lose these heroes to the dungeon, meaning that they should take time to decide which actions to use in battle to ensure the hero’s survival. Darkest Dungeon is an amazing Lovecraftian experience that will have players engaged till the very end.
6 Oxenfree
Radio Conversations With Poltergeists
Oxenfree
- Released
- January 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Night School Studio
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Oxenfree takes players on a side-scrolling adventure of supernatural proportions. It's a remarkable experience that can be enjoyed in one short sitting. The game begins with a group of teenagers traveling to a remote island for a party, giving the player ways to influence the narrative and their relationships with one another through dialogue trees.
Things really ramp up when antagonistic forces like poltergeists join the narrative, possessing some of the central protagonists and creating great moments of tension for players. Through the game’s simple mechanics, including an analog radio which controls and tracks down the poltergeists, Oxenfree is a game with multiple endings for its five main characters, making players want to retry to create the best combination.
5 Life is Strange
Turning Back Time To Save Others
Life is Strange
- Released
- January 30, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Dontnod Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Beloved by many fans of choice-based adventure games, Life is Strange creates many moments of moral decision for players to interact with, creating multiple endings and outcomes for its five episodic chapters. As players control Max, a photography student with the supernatural ability to reverse time, the game challenges them to make choices mainly through dialogue, which can indirectly influence future events and character deaths.
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The game’s ending is also infamous within gaming discourse, making players weigh up the importance of different characters and their growth throughout the narrative through two wildly different outcomes. Life is Strange and its multiple sequels are filled with poignant and engaging writing, making the loss of certain characters all the harder.
4 Telltale’s The Walking Dead
Saving Survivors From The Dreaded Walkers
The Walking Dead
- Released
- April 24, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Telltale Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Mobile
- Genre(s)
- Graphic Adventure, Horror
Telltale Games is well-known for its outstanding choice-based games, with their original spin-off of The Walking Dead comics providing many great moments of tension and some of the most difficult decisions gamers will ever face. As they control Lee and Clementine, the player’s split-second survival choices can affect the livelihood of memorable secondary characters, altering the endings of each episode in ways they might not expect.
Of course, some of the more gruesome deaths and injuries are completely unavoidable, but circumstances like time or cause of death are usually dictated by the player’s earlier decisions, creating a heightened feeling of guilt and responsibility that challenges their moral choices in an amazing way.
3 XCOM 2
Soldiers Vs. Aliens
XCOM 2
- Released
- February 5, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, RPG
Set twenty years after the events of its predecessor, XCOM 2 takes its turn-based combat system to new heights, engaging players as they navigate open environments invaded by aliens. In each mission, the player controls squads of 8 soldiers at a time, making strategic choices when moving them behind cover and engaging them in combat.
With a permadeath system in place, soldiers who lose all their HP will be lost permanently to the battlefield, meaning players will have to perfect their strategies for each level if they don’t want to sacrifice any of their team members. XCOM 2’s engaging combat system and moment-to-moment decisions on who lives and dies make for a great gaming experience.
2 Mass Effect Trilogy
Avoiding Sacrifice Among The Stars
Mass Effect Trilogy
- Released
- November 6, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
Hailed as one of the greatest sci-fi adventure series of all time, the Mass Effect trilogy offers important decisions in spades, making the player responsible for many of its narrative moments and character deaths. As they play as Commander Shepard, they will engage in conversation with plenty of secondary crewmates and potential love interests, fostering relationships that the player can strongly empathize with.
Both through small choices in dialogue and more obvious narrative decisions, the player can put many of their acquired crewmates at risk of death, especially in certain moments, like the second game’s infamous “suicide mission”. For players looking to empathize with characters, only to have their ensured survival as an added responsibility, the Mass Effect trilogy is a must-play.
1 Until Dawn
Supermassive's Horror Masterclass
Until Dawn
- Released
- October 4, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Ballistic Moon
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Horror
Offering one of the most memorable horror experiences of the last decade, Until Dawn makes players responsible for a group of teenagers trapped in a mountain retreat. As they are hunted by mysterious killers and fast-moving, cannibalistic monsters, the player makes choices through dialogue and quick-time events, changing the relationships and fates of each character in unexpected ways.
Between these decisions, gameplay elements like shooting and motion controls take immersion to another level, making it so that players feel every moment of fear and dread alongside the extremely well-written cast of protagonists. Thanks to its deviating narrative structure and superb writing, Until Dawn is an essential game for fans of the genre, and one which makes you want to save each of its protagonists again and again.
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