10 Times Gameplay Directly Informed The Narrative

More and more these days video games are finally getting the kudos they deserve as a legitimate art form - don't worry, I'm not going to beat that particular dead horse.

Of course, that doesn't mean that everyone has come round to that way of thinking yet, still viewing them as Shooty Bad Guy 4600. There are often times, however, wherein we're given a glorious little treat on a platter in the form of a game that simply wouldn't work in any other medium and the reason for this is a simple one: gameplay.

There are a number of games out there wherein the narrative is directly informed by player interaction and had it been a novel or movie or anything else you'd care to name then the emotional and psychological impact simply wouldn't have been anywhere near as palpable.

So consider this article your get out of jail free card that you can smugly present next time anyone tries to say that video games are just mindless gorefests devoid of any real meaning and watch as that person ultimately comes around to a different way of thinking and you both engage in meaningful discourse regarding the fickle, often ambiguous nature of art.

I'm kidding, they'll instantly discard this along with whatever argument you made and you'll both go back to just believing what you want because very few of us ever actually listen or change in any meaningful way.

Warning: Mental illness and suicide will be discussed in detail.

So much of Nier: Automata's narrative is informed by gameplay. From the repetitive combat reflecting what feels like the increasingly meaningless war at the core of the game's narrative to the physical and mental degradation of our android cohorts and, of course, the discomfort felt as you're forced to commit what amounts to war crimes against pacifistic tribes of robots. The whole thing plays out like a goddamn Beckett play at times it's that bleak and absurd.

This synergy is felt throughout, but it's during the tough end credits bullet-hell sequence where the gameplay truly informs the overarching theme of the title.

Here, the player is asked to do the unthinkable. What few games (apart from the previous instalment in this franchise) would ask of them: delete their save file. Why? So that through this sacrifice they can help a future player overcome the same challenge they themselves were just aided through.

The idea is this will hopefully inspire the next player to do the same, gradually making it easier and easier for future players to complete the cyclical loop that is Nier: Automata. This perfectly reflects the nihilistic, yet optimistic, central theme: that although we may often be doomed to repeat history, hopefully we may learn from it