Summary
- Open-world games feature tough decisions that force players to choose between morally gray options.
- Phantom Liberty, Saints Row 4, Far Cry 4, and Fallout New Vegas showcase dilemmas that impact gameplay.
- The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Ghost of Tsushima challenge players with emotional choices in storytelling.
People love open-world games for a bevy of reasons. With the advancements made in the gaming industry, most AAA sandboxes strive to include great writing and engrossing plots in their video games, giving players a reason to engage with the world.
Many open-world games are rife with important decisions that players must make. Some of these choices are relatively easy to make as long as players know they’re siding with a good or bad side. However, there are times when some open-world games force players to make a choice they’ll agonize over, since there’s no clear-cut winner here.
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7 Cyberpunk 2077: Help Solomon Reed Or Songbird
Shows How Well-Written Phantom Liberty Is
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
Phantom Liberty is an excellent expansion that enhances the quality of Cyberpunk 2077. It involves V helping the United States government by carrying out a covert operation in Dogtown, leading to the protagonist coming face-to-face with the Barghest and their leader.
The player will also find Songbird, a talented netrunner who will obviously be used by the government like a tool. While Songbird may not be the most redeemable character around (a statement that applies to almost every character in Cyberpunk 2077), it will still be hard to betray her. Instead, players can save her and go against the wishes of Solomon Reed, but that is also far from a desirable outcome…especially since it locks players out of the only ending where V manages to regain control of their body and can live their life normally.
6 Saints Row 4: Cure Cancer Or End World Hunger
Thankfully, This Decision Doesn’t Have Long-Lasting Consequences
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
While it’s true that the decision Playa makes as President of the United States is more for laughs than anything else, the choice between curing cancer and ending world hunger is extremely tough to make if players think hard about it. It may not have any ramifications further down the line, but that doesn’t make the choice any easier. It’s not necessary to think too hard about this, but there’s bound to be a healthy debate between people if they had to choose between one of these two world-altering options.
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5 Far Cry 4: Side With Sabal Or Amita
The Golden Path Has Two Leaders Who Seem Like Decent People
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
Far Cry 4 sees the Golden Path rebelling against Pagan Min and his forces. The leaders of this faction, Amita and Sabal, are constantly at odds with each other, and players must choose who to support after a point.
On the surface, both characters bring a unique array of strengths to the table, making this choice way harder than it has any right to be. It’s only after players complete the game that they realize just how horrid both options were, with both leaders being just as tyrannical as Pagan Min in their approach to leading a newly-liberated Kyrat.
4 Ghost Of Tsushima: Kill Or Spare Lord Shimura
A Tougher Decision Than Most Fans Would Assume
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity
On the face of it, players may think that sparing one’s uncle instead of killing them is an obvious choice to make. However, in the context of Ghost of Tsushima, there are other factors to take into account.
In a bid to take out the Mongols, Jin betrayed the code and used dishonorable tactics to make the invading force flee. This makes him a target of the Shogunate, and Lord Shimura wanted to give him a noble death instead of letting the Shogun capture him. However, Jin is too mighty a swordsman to defeat, and Shimura requests that Jin kill him to give him an honorable death. Players can either respect his wishes or leave him begging on his knees, adding insult to injury as the Ghost rides away.
3 Fallout New Vegas: Preserve The NCR’s Crops, Or Help Vault 34’s Survivors
A Brilliant Example Of What Makes Fallout: New Vegas So Riveting
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
Fallout: New Vegas is a game players love for its impressive role-playing opportunities and excellent writing. Nowhere is this more apparent than when players find themselves in what seems like a simple mission to water the NCR’s crops, only to find out that doing so will doom the survivors of Vault 34.
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At this point, players must either strengthen their ties with the NCR and water their crops, or power down the reactor and help the survivors escape. It’s a tough choice, and players who go down the humane path will love to see these survivors appear in one of the suites at Aerotech Office Park, vindicating their decision to an extent.
2 The Witcher 3: Romance Triss Or Yennefer
Both Are Good For Geralt In Their Own Way
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
As frivolous as it may seem, The Witcher 3‘s writing and potential romances are so riveting that making a choice between any one of them is agonizing. While Yennefer is clearly pushed onto Geralt a bit more than Triss, players mustn’t forget that the red-haired sorceress was with Geralt for the previous two games, too, meaning that some fans may have a deeper connection with her.
This is why players will have their work cut out for them, having to accept one person’s love and reject the other. If Geralt tries to play both sides, he’ll be left chained to a bed by the two women, who get their revenge for his womanizing actions as the players are locked out of romancing either one of them.
1 Cyberpunk 2077: Remain In V’s Body Or Give It To Johnny Silverhand
A Heartbreaking Choice To Make At The End Of The Game
Cyberpunk 2077 boasts some of the best writing fans will witness in an open-world game. This is especially true near the good endings, where V will go through hell and back to reach Mikoshi, only to realize that they’re too late.
Johnny will live a long and healthy life if they take over V’s body, but the protagonist will only have a few months to live because their presence has become hostile to the host body at this point. It makes for an agonizing moral conundrum, which is why some players don’t appreciate that Phantom Liberty provides an alternate ending where V will resume a normal life (even though this conclusion is also marred by a tinge of sadness).
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