Let's not derail the thread too much. "Ludo-narrative dissonance" it's an umbrella terms that includes dozens of problems, anyway, even on the thematic side (i.e. "advocating for world peace when the entire game is about combat and fights" is a common example).
It's not exactly what this topic is about.
This is strictly mechanical. It's about the game setting a very specific stake, giving you a determined and not-uncertain deadline, warning you about the risks of acting in a certain way and then... Doing absolutely nothing with it even even when you are explicitly ignoring the warnings and putting to the test the limits of the situation.
Another example could be "If you complete this ritual a demon that will destroy the entire city will appear" and then you ignore the warning, complete the ritual and the demon summoned is a level 2 complete pushover that even the local innkeeper armed with a broom is able to solo.
I don't even want to hear an excuse about how that's "a typical problem with videogames that there's no way around" because it's bullshit. The only thing it actually needs to be addressed is to be recognized as a problem to solve.
30 years ago Ultima VII had the "doom" spell that would kill any living form in the game world. And guess what? You were warned about it and it would fucking do it, if you actually had the nonsense to cast it. The only characters remaining alive were Lord British and the Big Bad. And both had a say on what you did.
Did it completely screw your playthrough, forcing you to reload a previous game? OF COURSE it did.
Was it worth it? Abso-fucking-lutely. It was great.
Last edited by Tuco; 11/11/20 07:36 PM.
