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In July 2002, Joseph Witham supplied the yearning public with an Editorial on the state of non-linearity within the RPG genre of video games. Now, with the ability of actually being one and a half years into the future, I would like to further his commentary on this issue.
First of all, though, I must say that complete non-linearity within many games would get boring, at least to me. The first Final Fantasy, while very innovative and nostalgic, was, compared to today’s standards, not that great of a game. Sure, it was pretty non linear. You basically went wherever you wanted to go, and although there was kind of a story to follow, it was your call on what to do. But no one touts the ability of this game to be non-linear, and that is because even though it isn’t linear, it doesn’t have a story at all. It’s boring. (On a side note, it’s also extremely difficult. Stupid power leveling.)
Therefore, the only time non-linearity is a good thing is when game companies find ways to continue an engrossing story but still allow you to make many choices that alter the course of the game. While there were many MMORPGs that were non-linear, it must be said that, devoid of a story altogether, while they may be fun due to the interactivity, they aren’t really that good. EverQuest is a good example. The game is addicting; the strive to get the best goods and go level with friends is amazingly high. Yet there is no story at all, save some random NPCs telling you about some quest that the player really doesn’t even care about.
Kudos to SquareEnix and Final Fantasy XI for actually trying to include a large amount of story in their RPG, which was currently said to be almost impossible. They do have a story in the game; every quest seems to tie in to the overall goal somehow, and when performing quests, one actually cares about the plights that are occurring to the people in the cities. Sure, the game is still extremely fun for the same reasons EverQuest is, and in my opinion much better in those regards as well, but it is the attempt to include a story that the player can unravel at his leisure that I personally enjoy.
An even better example of non-linearity in games would be in the recent smash hit Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This game allows you to basically make many, many choices, either becoming a Jedi or getting swayed by the Dark side, and unlike games of old, this actually affects the game as a whole. Do something bad? Well, you are going to regret it. (Well, maybe you won’t.) Thus, this game is very non-linear because you can do pretty much whatever you want, just like in the original Final Fantasy. However, this game still manages to keep players captivated by the story, and the fact that it can be different each time you play is an encouraging thought towards complete non-linearity.
Probably the best example I can give would be the up and coming Fable, for the X-Box. If this game achieves what it says it is going to, then everyone should be up for one of the best non-linear rides of their lives. You take the role of a kid/man and follow him throughout his life. The difference between this game and other games, however, is you make his life for him. Want him to be the hero of the realm? Then go save people and be kind to all. Want him to be the antithesis of the hero? Then go kill that guy who gave you an evil look. Don’t worry, you’ll only have to kill him once, as the game keeps people dead once you’ve killed them. This game looks to be a non-linear fan’s pride and glory. Every single choice you make can alter the course of the game, and turn your character into who he is. No game will be the same, unless you make all of the same choices, kill the exact same people, and otherwise go about your business exactly how you did the first time. This is the non-linearity that people need, for it supplies a story, but you pretty much make it yourself by your choices.
So, it seems that non-linearity is taking root in the gaming world, and it probably won’t be long until technology allows for complete non-linearity; you do whatever you want, and even then there is still a story. Fable seems to be almost there, it might even be it. But, they might just need a bit more space on those discs to be able to hold the massive amounts of variables needed to let the game mold to how you play it.
Still, the regular, heavy story based games shouldn’t be dismissed from the gaming realm. I for one still want to get to know my characters like characters in a book, or movie. So while making all the choices yourself still gives you that sense of satisfaction and joy knowing that the outcome of the game came solely from you, playing a game with set characters and a set story will still always have a place in the video game world.
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