What Choice Do We Have? | The Quarry

Choice games are some of my favorite games to play. Detroit Become Human remains in my top ten and I thoroughly enjoyed Until Dawn. That doesn't mean I got the best endings for them though; I always ended up killing at least one character and falling short of the perfect/true ending.

I usually knew what choices I made that led to these endings, maybe a quick time event or choosing the slower path instead of risking. But when I watch other people play these games, it can be as entertaining as it is frustrating.

A lot of players tend to blame the game for not highlighting "important" events. The ones that may or may not lead to a character dying. Of course, I'm guilty of doing the same thing. Sometimes you get to a choice and think, "Well, this doesn't seem that important. I can pick whatever and it won't matter." Then when you get to the end of the game, it gives a slap in the face, telling you if you had gone a little faster or picked up a clue that you could certainly have a better ending. But here's the thing. Why do we need to gauge how important a choice is? Shouldn't we just consider all choices and all paths as if there is no going back?

If we made every choice feel important, then we'd never let our guard down. We'd explore every nook and cranny, pick up every item, and carefully consider every choice instead of picking carelessly picking choices and rushing to the next area. Of course, this is just if you're striving to understand the story and/or get the best ending. Making the best decisions won't always get you the true ending, and it may leave some people unsatisfied. So, what's the best way to play no matter what end you're striving for?

Well besides considering every choice as an important one, you also have to immerse yourself. Some of the most entertaining playthroughs I've seen of choice games were ones where people made choices based on the characters instead of what the player thought was the right decision. Either way, you may not get the best ending, but you'll definitely enjoy yourself. Instead of trying to focus on the choices, focus on the character around those choices.

For example, in my Until Dawn playthrough, I killed a key character by making them investigate a noise. In hindsight, of course, it was stupid, but it also went against the character. This character was a coward, quick to jump to conclusions, and was always urging people to stick together. I didn't pay attention to that and played how I thought the game wanted me to play instead of how the character would have played.

Of course, there is no right or wrong way to play, but there should be a more enjoyable one. At the end of the day, these are games that cost money and took a lot of time and effort to make. So instead of striving for the perfect ending, giving yourself a pat on the back, and then throwing the game back onto your shelf, how about replaying it again?

Make all the bad choices, play like the characters, play like yourself, maybe don't play at all. After all, The Quarry has a movie mode where you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the carnage. Play however you want to play instead of how you think it wants you to play. There is no right or wrong nor perfect ending, only choices. And every choice matters, no matter what anyone tells you. So keep an eye out in The Quarry.