@agonist all games are engines fur storytelling, but "your choices matter" is often actually signalling a much more constrained space of simewlation
@agonist this is a great essay, you hit the nail on the head describing this frustrating idea box that game designers keep adamantly trapping themselves in. the world has progressed beyond the need for bioshock moral choices
I actually don't agree that Talos follows this pattern, but I'll refrain from expounding on that disagreement unprompted in your mentions
@agonist imo, a big factor in why games are so bad at “real choices” is that in modern AAA games it is verboten to ever give the player a negative consequence more than a tap on the wrist for their choices
@engineerjulia note that every game in this list is some manner of indie darling
@agonist i think Shadow The Hedgehog did a really good job of making me uninterested in games that advertise choice-based morality systems and multiple endings due to its particular extreme of implementing the system, and how incomprehensible the story and themes are as a result
@agonist and this is why new vegas remains unconteste-
@agonist your writing is always so much fun to read
@agonist as the resident ornery strategy/card/board/fighting gamer i find "your choices matter" type games to be, if not making an arrogant purromise, then maybe an ignorant one. my choices matter plenty in a game of civ, or brass, or slay the spire, and those games usually ask me to make a lot more choices overall