The illusion of choice in video games is a hot topic for many gamers. What's the point of allowing player choice if game developers already have an ending in mind for the game? And on the other side of that, how many branching narratives should game developers allow depending on what kind of game it is?
Arguably speaking, time and resources are limited, and there are many occasions where pouring energy into divergent paths that most gamers won't take is just a waste of time and energy. Nevertheless, it’s still frustrating when players make a difficult moral decision just for that choice and painful deliberation to mean very little in the end. In some cases, choices in games have no consequences at all.
10 Choosing Natsuki Or Yuri In Act 2 Doesn't Matter (Doki Doki Literature Club)
Doki Doki Literature Club is a game that ruthlessly shoves the illusion of choice in the player's face. No matter what choices players make throughout the game, the ending is always the same.
However, it's important to note that choices during Act 1 of Doki Doki Literature Club do actually have consequences. Part of what makes this game so spooky is when Act 2 begins and the choices that used to matter in Act 1 no longer have any consequences since Monika has become sentient and is tampering with the game.
9 No One Cares About The Dragonborn's Race, Not Even The Stormcloaks (Skyrim)
The Nords of Skyrim are notorious for being extremely distrustful of other races and they frequently shun other races from their social circles. And it's not just the Nords who show occasional racism, as several characters in-game will complain about one race or another.
But when it comes to the Dragonborn, no one bats an eye. It's certainly awkward to be the same race that a character is trash-talking right in front of you, but at least there's no hatred or consequences in the engagement.
8 Running Off With The Cash Doesn't Affect Batman's Fate (Batman: Arkham City)
In the Catwoman scenario for Batman: Arkham City, Catwoman has the option to end the scenario by running off with her loot or abandoning her prize and going back to save Batman. Running off with the goods obviously indicates that something bad may happen to Batman since she's the only one who could conceivably save him.
But leaving with her prize is a fake-out that results in the game forcing her to save Batman anyway. After the game's ending credits, the scenario rewinds to have Catwoman go rescue Batman. There are no consequences for choosing the loot over Batman's life.
7 Picking A Deity Affects Nothing In The Game (Final Fantasy XIV)
The character creation process for new Final Fantasy XIV characters is somewhat long and involved with several choices to get through before the game begins. Players need to choose their race, clan, appearance, job, nameday, and deity before they can start playing.
Most of these choices have no consequences later in the game, but the choice of deity is something that could have been expanded upon. Originally, one's deity choice affected their elemental resistances, but Square Enix has since retired that system. Now, choosing a deity is largely pointless with no consequence to how the game plays out.
6 Romancing Every Possible Dating Option Holds No Negatives (Fallout 4)
Bethesda's choice to have polyamorous relationships in Fallout 4 was either groundbreaking or pointless depending on one's outlook. On the side of polyamory, allowing relationships with multiple people where none of them punish the player for their infidelity is a novel experience that normalizes polyamory in general.
On the other side of things, giving players the option to romance everyone with no repercussions is a pointless endeavor that allows players to be scandalously unfaithful and not have to pay for their infidelity. Either way, there are no consequences for multiple romances.
5 Declining Hangouts With Your Friends Doesn't Bother Them (Persona 5)
Ordinarily, turning down a friend or ghosting them when they ask for an outing would get some kind of negative effect. Surely, they would become disappointed at the very least. But not in Persona 5, apparently.
During the summer break and exam periods, the protagonist receives several invitations to hang out at Café Leblanc or go on an outing with different characters. Players have the option to respond affirmatively, negatively, or not at all. Regardless of how players respond, there are no repercussions, even if you ghost your buddy and then pass by them on the way out of Leblanc the next day.
4 Kazuma Doesn't Suffer If Ryunosuke Hesitates To Defend Himself (Great Ace Attorney Chronicles)
At the beginning of Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, Ryunosuke Naruhodo is given the decision to defend himself or "wait and see" what happens. But since this is basically the tutorial of the game, it doesn't matter which choice Ryunosuke makes.
Saying "I do" will obviously get the ball rolling, but hesitating will prompt Ryunosuke's friend, Kazuma Asogi, to point out that Ryunosuke is only feeling nervous, and he needs to stand up for himself. The outcome is the same, but it's slightly disappointing that there are no consequences for hesitating.
3 Choosing A Starter Pokémon Doesn't Prevent Obtaining The Others (Pokémon Go!)
In the original Pokémon games, choosing a starter was one of the most important decisions of the game. Starter Pokémon don't exist in the wild in Pokémon games, so choosing one meant players forfeited the right to obtain the others unless they managed to find someone to trade with. In Pokémon Go!, however, the gravity of this choice is nonexistent.
There are no negative repercussions surrounding one's starter choice in Pokémon Go!, as players can still run into other starters in the wild.
2 Neither The Cage Nor Bird Brooch Affects Anything Later On (Bioshock Infinite)
The symbolism of Elizabeth's brooch in Bioshock Infinite is more for the story than the actual gameplay. There aren't any serious consequences for choosing one over the other. Bioshock Infinite is a game that focuses on themes of choice, divergent paths, freedom, and entrapment, and it's these themes that the brooches touch on more than anything else.
Players won't experience anything regarding gameplay or repercussions when it comes to which brooch is chosen. It does, however, have an impact on the story itself in how Booker Dewitt deduces the false Elizabeth later in the game.
1 Killing Clementine Doesn't Actually Cause Her Death (The Walking Dead: The Final Season)
Like many decisions in Telltale's The Walking Dead series, the choice for AJ to kill Clementine or leave her behind has no repercussions. Regardless of what players have AJ choose, the outcome is the same: Clementine lives but without her leg from the knee down.
The game makes it seem as if AJ is going to kill Clementine and players most likely chose to kill her knowing it'd be better if she didn't turn into a zombie. It's cheap and disappointing for that option to turn out with no consequences.