For the most part, 80s and 90s RPGs were pretty straightforward when it came to dialogue options. No matter what players said, if there even was a choice, the story would not change. There were a few examples of RPGs trying some dynamic choices, like how players had to recruit Yuffie in Final Fantasy 7.
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Today, there are a lot of games where the dialogue systems are incredibly more intricate than anything in the past couple of decades. Let’s get into why these systems are special and how they can affect the stories. Some examples include Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Let’s find out more about them and what other games made the cut.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Talk D&D To Me
Baldur’s Gate 3 has a great inner system at play that takes into account nearly everything the player does. For example, the list of options in NPC dialogue is fairly standard as far as presentation goes for an RPG, but what options open up depend on previous player choices.
For example, if players finish a task before even taking on a quest, an NPC will recognize that accomplishment. What race players choose can also matter, as a Drow will often get looked down upon as if players are evil, which, overall, can make players feel more immersed in this Dungeons & Dragons world.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyber Networking
Cyberpunk 2077 has a standard text-based dialogue system, but the options that open up largely depend on player builds. As a cyberpunk game, players can transform their body into a powered-up cyborg complete with modules that can affect several stats, from combat opportunities to hacking abilities.
How players choose to approach situations largely depends on their builds, leading to an open-ended mission structure that can affect the story. What players say can change the story and how missions play out, too, like if they side with a character or are aggressive, which may end with a gun battle, so players do have to be careful during dialogue breakdowns.
Disco Elysium
Roll The Dice
Disco Elysium is devoid of combat, so it’s all about conversations in a dark, dystopian city. It’s not just an adventure game, though, because there is a class system along with skills that can affect how dice rolls play out.
If players decide they want their hard-boiled detective to constantly be aggressive to win conversation choices, then they may build their character in that direction to affect outcomes. The best advice for players is to always go with the flow, no matter the outcome, because that then creates a personal story that they can essentially own and share with their friends.
Fallout: New Vegas
Bad To The Bone
Fallout: New Vegas has a karma system that plays into the game’s overall vibe. Good, evil, and neutral characters will get different responses from NPCs, and which players align with, in terms of factions, also makes a difference.
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Stats can also play a role in battle, and there are seven major ones, including Science, which may appear as an extra dialogue option in conversations where it makes sense. Furthermore, there are perks that can affect conversations too, like Terrifying Presence, which can scare off NPCs. All of these systems and more are why Fallout fans often say this is their favorite entry.
Mass Effect
Paragon Vs Renegade
In most RPGs, players can assume what a good, evil, or neutral answer is in a conversation, but the developer, BioWare, simplified things with Mass Effect. In conversations, players could choose a good answer on the Paragon side of the wheel, or they could choose to be more daring and be a Renegade, which wasn’t always necessarily evil so much as it was chaotic.
Points would accrue on either side, which would affect the character and how others treated them overall. The dialogue wheel and how conversations were blocked made discussions feel more dynamic, like players were in a movie rather than a static RPG, which is the original trilogy’s greatest achievement.
The Outer Worlds 2
Your Life Matters
The great thing about The Outer Worlds 2’s design is that everything matters, like Baldur’s Gate 3, regarding a character’s build. The hero’s background, their perks, and their skills could factor into a conversation, like if someone has an engineering problem and players are proficient, a new option will appear.
It will make players feel like they matter and that the game is actively paying attention to what they are doing. These things factor into problem-solving on missions, too, like if a door is jammed, there are multiple ways to fix it or get through, which is the true sign of a developer who knows their RPGs.
Planescape Torment
Talk Your Way Out Of Battles
Planescape: Torment is a PC classic from the late 90s, and while there is combat, the dialogue system was so dynamic that players could often skip conflicts altogether. Players would wake up with amnesia, a classic RPG trope, and try to figure out their place in this dark world. With a high enough Charisma score, players did not have to worry about gear or the class they chose.
As dated as it appears, Planescape: Torment does have a decent remaster, and it’s worth recommending for RPG fans who don’t like a lot of combat, but they like shaping their story through branching dialogue options.
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
These Are Not The Droids You Are Looking For
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is another space-based BioWare game, but this one is obviously based on the Star Wars universe. Set a thousand years before the prequels, players assume the role of an amnesia-riddled character who is gifted with The Force.
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Players can choose to be good or evil in their approach to conversations, which will not only affect the story but also their powers. While Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic doesn’t have as cool an interface in conversations as Mass Effect, the options and overall story are great for this giant media universe.
Triangle Strategy
Gaining Favor
Triangle Strategy will ask players to take sides during the campaign several times as three warring kingdoms battle over a supply of salt. Supporting one side will affect the story and even determine what party members players can gain in certain sections.
If players want to support a particular side, they have to convince NPCs and party members in a room to vote their way, and convincing them by choosing the right answers is often quite tricky. This makes the idea of branching storylines more engaging since players need to do more than click a button.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
A Bad Outcome Either Way
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s quests, both mainline and side, will constantly have players second-guess themselves. There is no clean-cut answer to a problem, as every storyline is complex. Even answers that sound like the righteous path will often lead to some depressing outcome or, at least, a second party being on the receiving end of torture.
While this can be dour at times, it will remind players that life is not black and white. There are no good or evil choices, just complex ones that players have to weigh the pros and cons of during conversations and paths, like saving children but sacrificing an entire village.
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