Hellmode - On Morality and Making Choices Matter in Video Games.
Arguably, choices are standard for role-playing games and they function the best in that type of environment. We also expect them from an RPG more than any other genre. But they’re prominent in other types of games as well, with the earlier mentioned sandbox titles serving as good examples. Choices in a non-RPG seem to be less intimidating on the whole. They are not under often false pretenses that they are impactful and deep–they do not provide agency, they only provide entertainment. And they are seldom beneficial to the plot, frequently even contradictory. While they are not overly serious, they tend to focus on the macabre and more deep issues surprisingly. They usually crop up as life and death choices of minor characters and often stem from seemingly innocuous choices like what weapon to use or what direction to walk in first.