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Games with branching storylines/multiple ending?

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Posts

  • Warlock82Warlock82 Never pet a burning dog Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Seiken Densetsu 3 (aka Secret of Mana 2). Three completely different ending experiences (by which I mean different end dungeons and final bosses among other things) depending on which lead character you pick, each character you pick has a unique story branch that you don't experience if you didn't pick them, and there are also unique openings for each character (somewhat like Dragon Age Origins). Since there are six characters to choose from and you can only form a three character party, tons of replay value.

    Of course, it was never released in the US because Square hates us. There is a very excellent fan translation though if you go that route.

    Warlock82 on
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  • Dropping LoadsDropping Loads Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Erich Zahn wrote: »
    The old Dark Sun game.

    Nobody really bothers with branching paths anymore, and you'd be better off going to CF to scratch that particular niche.

    I really agree with Erich here. Is it important to you that you be able to go back and see what you missed/what could have been different, or is it sufficient that you get to know that your actions are making an impact on the game world? If it's the second, you might really enjoy tabletop games.

    Dropping Loads on
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  • hatedinamericahatedinamerica Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    the sequel to Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross had multiple endings. I only ever saw maybe two of them. I think there was at least one more, but it was really complicated to get so I never did it.

    I'm a little fuzzy on the details and the number of endings; it's been a while.

    hatedinamerica on
  • TanolenTanolen Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Vampire: Bloodlines is really good, doesn't really branch, but the characters do change alot based on your choices, there are also like 7 endings.

    Tanolen on
  • JONJONAUGJONJONAUG Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Bioptic wrote: »
    Visual Novels and their ilk - will probably all have the problem of being 'a bit verbose' since they're all essentially over-descriptive novels. Fate/Stay night would probably take 25-30 hours to explore the 2 major storylines and multiple endings.

    F/SN has three routes and getting all the endings will take significantly more than 25 hours.

    JONJONAUG on
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Disgaea Infinite has that too, if you don't mind a visual novel.

    I got beat to every other recommendation. Even Growlanser 2!

    cj iwakura on
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  • JimmyNavioJimmyNavio Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    -SPI- wrote: »
    The westwood Blade Runner game.

    Oh man, I still have this on disk.
    I like to pop it in and play through it at least once a year.
    Such a great game. I have considered doing a let's play with it, but I'm pretty busy these days.

    JimmyNavio on
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  • Panda4YouPanda4You Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    NES Die Hard, motherfucker!
    Die%20Hard.gif

    Top-down action-uh... tactical adventure? The whole game acted out within a timelimit, that was around an hour or so, and the different choices or cutscenes (more liek cutscreens mirite) you could make would be enough to fill a phone book and could totally turn the movie plot on its head.

    This game was awesome!

    Panda4You on
  • BarcardiBarcardi All the Wizards Under A Rock: AfganistanRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Barcardi wrote: »
    Ogre Battle

    Sounds a good game but too much bother to get a copy.

    Get it if you want good value for your money. As in it has 10+ endings, most of them are impossible to get, and to beat the game just once takes around 60+ hours. Yet in no way does it suck.

    Also i completely forgot: Silent Hill 2. Jesus, what a variation of endings. Also Planescape Torment.

    Barcardi on
  • XtarathXtarath Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I hear that The Witcher has some highly significant story branch points throughout.

    This. Sometimes the choice seems so inconsequential, and it turns into something huge you couldn't of foreseen.

    Xtarath on
  • revolutionary beanrevolutionary bean Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Tanolen wrote: »
    Vampire: Bloodlines is really good, doesn't really branch, but the characters do change alot based on your choices, there are also like 7 endings.

    I loved the ending where it was basically a big "Fuck You" to all the factions.

    I wonder why the games which had awesome branching stories always inevitably ends up without a sequel or bankrupting the developer.
    JONJONAUG wrote: »
    Bioptic wrote: »
    Visual Novels and their ilk - will probably all have the problem of being 'a bit verbose' since they're all essentially over-descriptive novels. Fate/Stay night would probably take 25-30 hours to explore the 2 major storylines and multiple endings.

    F/SN has three routes and getting all the endings will take significantly more than 25 hours.

    Dude, the last (secret?) ending was creepy as hell. The sex scenes also didn't make any sense at all, one comedy moment had you having sex to heal the blonde king arthur chick. I mean what the fuck.

    revolutionary bean on
  • PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    C2B wrote: »
    It's the same with AP. You can do things differently, like kill that one guy in the museum or not kill him, but that's all that changes. The story stays the same. If he lives, you only see him again for a moment, and if he's dead you miss that 5 second interaction. That's not really branching.

    edit: Oh yeah, Masq was great for branching storylines. One of the best I've played.

    And how is that any different from Heavy Rain? You fuck up the QTE you don't. Means certain thing doesn't happen or does.. The story is always the same. Same with Masq.

    Seriously I need an answer. In Alpha Protocol you have a tremendous influence on charachters around you, how things play out etc. I didn't say it's a good example of "branching". It has however waaaaaay more consequences than "some dialog changes".

    I'm not saying it's any different from Heavy Rain. They both take you through the same sequence of events, and at no point does the story break away and go down a completely distinct path.

    In Heavy Rain, you still play the exact same chapters, unless that character is dead, in which case they're simply omitted. There are multiple endings based on the final scene.

    In Alpha Protocol, you will play through the exact same chapters. Your previous choices will occasionally change a line of dialogue, but for the most part they're identical. There are multiple endings, based on what you do in the final scene.

    Neither game features branches in the storyline. In the case of masq, it is entirely possible to play through it many times and not arrive at the same scenes as previous attempts. In Heavy Rain, you will always go to the junkyard and have it play out the same, in Alpha Protocol, you will always go to the rally in Taipei and have it play out the same. In masq you can arrive at different situations via different paths, and your choices actually shape the story.

    I'm not making a value judgement one way or the other. Masq obviously was able to do a more involved story because it was a half-step above a text adventure. The other games had more balls in the air. I'm not sure why this seems to be a controversial statement?

    PolloDiablo on
  • LilnoobsLilnoobs Alpha Queue Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Guys, seeing the same narrative from a different perspective does not make a branching storyline.

    Lilnoobs on
  • l337CrappyJackl337CrappyJack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Come to think of it, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis technically does this, even if it only affects the middle 1/3 of the game; the beginning and end are always the same, but you have a choice of 3 paths to take in solving the middle, and they're all pretty drastically different.

    l337CrappyJack on
  • AroducAroduc regular
    edited July 2010
    Tanolen wrote: »
    Vampire: Bloodlines is really good, doesn't really branch, but the characters do change alot based on your choices, there are also like 7 endings.

    I loved the ending where it was basically a big "Fuck You" to all the factions.

    I wonder why the games which had awesome branching stories always inevitably ends up without a sequel or bankrupting the developer.
    JONJONAUG wrote: »
    Bioptic wrote: »
    Visual Novels and their ilk - will probably all have the problem of being 'a bit verbose' since they're all essentially over-descriptive novels. Fate/Stay night would probably take 25-30 hours to explore the 2 major storylines and multiple endings.

    F/SN has three routes and getting all the endings will take significantly more than 25 hours.

    Dude, the last (secret?) ending was creepy as hell. The sex scenes also didn't make any sense at all, one comedy moment had you having sex to heal the blonde king arthur chick. I mean what the fuck.

    Welcome to the world of visual novels.

    Aroduc on
  • JONJONAUGJONJONAUG Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    JONJONAUG wrote: »
    Bioptic wrote: »
    Visual Novels and their ilk - will probably all have the problem of being 'a bit verbose' since they're all essentially over-descriptive novels. Fate/Stay night would probably take 25-30 hours to explore the 2 major storylines and multiple endings.

    F/SN has three routes and getting all the endings will take significantly more than 25 hours.

    Dude, the last (secret?) ending was creepy as hell. The sex scenes also didn't make any sense at all, one comedy moment had you having sex to heal the blonde king arthur chick. I mean what the fuck.

    It's an eroge.

    The CTRL button is there for a reason. I just closed my eyes and held CTRL until the sex scene music went away.

    If you want fucked up, try reading Saya no Uta.

    JONJONAUG on
  • PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    What does the ctrl button do?

    PolloDiablo on
  • JONJONAUGJONJONAUG Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    What does the ctrl button do?

    Quickly skips through text.

    JONJONAUG on
  • BarneyLBarneyL Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I've not played it yet but doesn't Gothic 3 give you the choice of siding with two very different factions (Orcs and Humans).

    BarneyL on
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  • l337CrappyJackl337CrappyJack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    BarneyL wrote: »
    I've not played it yet but doesn't Gothic 3 give you the choice of siding with two very different factions (Orcs and Humans).

    The Gothic games follow the usual path, where you're on your own at the beginning, you join a faction in the middle 1/3, but all of those factions converge at the end and you end up doing the exact same stuff to win.

    l337CrappyJack on
  • AroducAroduc regular
    edited July 2010
    JONJONAUG wrote: »
    What does the ctrl button do?

    Quickly skips through text.

    It is your best friend.

    Aroduc on
  • The WolfmanThe Wolfman Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    As utterly blasphemous as this may sound, I would really be hesitant on using Chrono Trigger as some bastion of multiple endings. At least three are absolute junk credit crawls, only qualifying as endings because the game "ended". And most of the rest are basically 1 note scenes. You can only really count one ending as being a legitimate alternate ending.

    The Wolfman on
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  • C2BC2B SwitzerlandRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    C2B wrote: »
    It's the same with AP. You can do things differently, like kill that one guy in the museum or not kill him, but that's all that changes. The story stays the same. If he lives, you only see him again for a moment, and if he's dead you miss that 5 second interaction. That's not really branching.

    edit: Oh yeah, Masq was great for branching storylines. One of the best I've played.

    And how is that any different from Heavy Rain? You fuck up the QTE you don't. Means certain thing doesn't happen or does.. The story is always the same. Same with Masq.

    Seriously I need an answer. In Alpha Protocol you have a tremendous influence on charachters around you, how things play out etc. I didn't say it's a good example of "branching". It has however waaaaaay more consequences than "some dialog changes".
    a Protocol, you will play through the exact same chapters. Your previous choices will occasionally change a line of dialogue, but for the most part they're identical. There are multiple endings, based on what you do in the final scene.

    Not always, a few chapters are completly optional. Not to mention the rally can play out in different ways. Depending on your choices in previous chapters:

    -The rally is stopped or Sung wears a veste
    -Both if you get a high reputation with sung and getting him to still wear a veste despite there beeing no evidence
    -Allies you made in other missions will help you on the assault.
    (I'm not sure I listed everything here)

    Also you can make friends with Omen Deng here which also can alter future missions.


    Also it's not just "one line of dialog". In many cases in AP large parts of a discussion changes depending on former decisions. And the difference can also make a difference again on other occassions.


    And I already said it's not a good example of "branching" in the sense of different storypaths.

    C2B on
  • chevluhchevluh Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    the sequel to Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross had multiple endings. I only ever saw maybe two of them. I think there was at least one more, but it was really complicated to get so I never did it.

    I'm a little fuzzy on the details and the number of endings; it's been a while.

    It's got about a dozen endings, just like CT.
    Come to think of it, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis technically does this, even if it only affects the middle 1/3 of the game; the beginning and end are always the same, but you have a choice of 3 paths to take in solving the middle, and they're all pretty drastically different.
    Actually Fate of Atlantis has a bit more than that, as it's got multiple endings too. Even discarding the ones where you die, you still have two main endings.

    While we're talking Lucasarts stuff, Maniac mansion had lots of branches (at least four base endings, different ways to get them depending on your team and variations depending on who you let die), Monkey Island had quite a few branches that didn't change the overall plot but did change quite a few small details (sinking your ship, not meeting the voodoo lady, not declaring your love directly to elaine because you did her trial last, dying, etc...), the Dig had one small branch (trying to save Maggie), Loom had a few (different approaches to some puzzles).

    chevluh on
  • vader111vader111 Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I'm just going to pop in and shamelessly plug PlaneScape: Torment.

    Also, if you're at all interested in going the visual novel route, the (now-defunct) Hirameki game Ever17 not only has many branching paths, but also multiple perspectives. It's got one of the most clever uses of narrative structure I've ever seen, some great characters and a full English translation.

    You really have to complete the game five times (each playthrough is totally different, though, and there are many, many endings) to get the full story and the "true" ending, and in a fantastic piece of meta-structure the game actually accounts for you playing it through this many times - it's difficult to explain without spoiling the game, but the moment where it all "clicks" is just utterly fantastic.

    It is a little on the long side, with each run clocking in between 20-25 hours. Assuming you don't screw up and get a bad end, it would take ~100 hours to finish, but it's well worth it.

    As another major plus, it's also completely devoid of eroge/hentai/anime boobies. Unfortunately, it's become pretty rare in recent years - ebay is probably your best bet. I really have to recommend it as being the top of the heap when it comes to visual novels.

    vader111 on
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  • PapillonPapillon Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Not an RPG, but King's Quest 6 had two, very different endings, and then a few minor variations to the last scene depending on which quests you did or did not complete. Some of the puzzles also had completely different solutions depending on what you had or had not done previously.

    Papillon on
  • PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    vader111 wrote: »
    I'm just going to pop in and shamelessly plug PlaneScape: Torment.

    Also, if you're at all interested in going the visual novel route, the (now-defunct) Hirameki game Ever17 not only has many branching paths, but also multiple perspectives. It's got one of the most clever uses of narrative structure I've ever seen, some great characters and a full English translation.

    You really have to complete the game five times (each playthrough is totally different, though, and there are many, many endings) to get the full story and the "true" ending, and in a fantastic piece of meta-structure the game actually accounts for you playing it through this many times - it's difficult to explain without spoiling the game, but the moment where it all "clicks" is just utterly fantastic.

    It is a little on the long side, with each run clocking in between 20-25 hours. Assuming you don't screw up and get a bad end, it would take ~100 hours to finish, but it's well worth it.

    As another major plus, it's also completely devoid of eroge/hentai/anime boobies. Unfortunately, it's become pretty rare in recent years - ebay is probably your best bet. I really have to recommend it as being the top of the heap when it comes to visual novels.

    If I wanted to try out this style of game, what are the top two or three? What are they like? Are any available for download anywhere, I don't really like discs anymore.


    C2B wrote: »


    And I already said it's not a good example of "branching" in the sense of different storypaths.

    Oh, then we agree, I guess.

    PolloDiablo on
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