Summary
While there’s certainly a well-deserved space for scripted, linear games, they don’t typically afford players a great deal of agency. This won’t be a deal-breaker for certain gamers, but those who enjoy making their own decisions and carving their own path may desire something more. That said, some linear games, such asUndertale, also manage to champion player agency.
These titles excel with their emergent gameplay and player freedom, emphasizing agency and creative thinking over clear direction and predetermined solutions. Be it meaningful choices in RPGs such asUndertaleor the combat sandboxes of games likeBattle Brothers, there’s something here for all kinds of indie game fan.
Battle Brotherstasks players with managing a mercenary company in a grim and violent low-fantasy world, frequently brushing up against death as they seek out and fulfill dangerous contracts. This indie game excels, however, withits RPG character progression, which allows for a great deal of customization.
With myriad perks, a variety of unique stats, and a plethora of gear to find and equip, each character inBattle Brotherscan be specialized. As a result, players are able to develop their own strategy and playBattle Brothersin their own way. Furthermore, the game features a great variety of customization options before it even begins, allowing players to pick and choose the difficulty of combat, their starting funds, and even the end-game crisis they’ll have to contend with.
7Undertale
An RPG That Allows For Pacifism
Undertaleis a distinctive RPG that stands apart with its witty writing and unique world. While its charming characters may be the highlight of the journey,Undertalealso excels with its unique combat, which affords players the choice of sparing or killing their foes.
This adds a great deal of emotional weight to each encounter, and the player’s choices also have an effect onUndertale’s ending. As a result,Undertaleis able to champion player agency whileproviding a memorable, linear adventurethrough a truly distinctive world.
From the very start,Disco Elysiumpresents players with a great deal of choice. From character creation and progression to choosing how Harry, the game’s protagonist, interacts and perceives the world around him, the player is very much a part ofDisco Elysium’s storytelling.
While the bulk of choices come down to dialogue options, skills and items can also have an impact on the experience. And, althoughDisco Elysiumborders on interactive fiction, its RPG systems provide enough agency for players toplay in their own way.
Griftlandsisa roguelike deck-builderthat, through RPG elements, allows players to have a say in how they interact with its world. This player agency results in an experience that’s diverse, replayable, and tremendously distinct.
Griftlandsfeaturestwo distinctive combat systems: one for violent action and another for passive negotiation. The ability to approach many encounters without violence is particularly unique, butGriftlandsintegrates this into its gameplay by making negotiation a variation on combat. Since players have unique decks for both violence and negotiation, this added choice also deepens the deck-building aspect of the game.
Streets of Rogueis an action roguelite thatstands out with its immersive-sim influences. Combining aspects of classic immersive-sims such asDeus Exwith the sandbox chaos of titles likeGrand Theft Auto,Streets of Roguetakes a hands-off approach that encourages players to get creative and pursue objectives in their own way.
Streets of Roguefacilitates this gameplay via a systems-heavy design, offering dynamic factions and simulated citizens that roam each level with their own motivations. More important, however, is the abundance of unique items and myriad playable characters, each facilitating unique playstyles and multiple methods of approach.
RimWorldis an expressive colony-sim with a distinctive sci-fi western setting, standing out with its accessible take onDwarf Fortress. While more accessible than the titan it takes influence from,RimWorldremains a deep management game with an abundance of ways to play.
Most notably,RimWorldfeatures a variety of AI “storytellers” that control the pace of the game in unique ways. Players are able to choose their storyteller from the very start and, as a result, have a great deal of control over the experience. Once in the game, players are also tasked with constant decision-making, choosing how to develop and manage their burgeoning colony with little interference.
Kenshi, with its dynamic world and simulated denizens, gives little attention to the player. With such a hands-off approach to design,Kenshiis able to champion player agency above all else, tasking them with setting their own goals and pursuing them however they see fit.
Kenshi’s world lives and breathes with or without the player, with wandering mobs, diverse factions, and self-functioning settlements. This world asks nothing of the player, though it’s often hostile. The RPG side ofKenshi, however, ensures that players have options and that they are always able to pick and choose something to focus on.
Caves of Qudis an open-world roguelike with an evocative science-fantasy setting anda deep, intricate set of RPG systems. The living, breathing nature ofQudis supported by a combination of hand-crafted and procedural content, allowing players to explore bespoke locations while enjoying a sense of discovery in the more random pockets of the world.
What really gives players agency over their experience, however, is the game’s granular character creator. With its myriad options for mutations, cybernetics, statistics, and classes,Caves of Qudoffers an abundance of ways for players to begin their journey. As a result,Qudis an RPG that encourages players to develop their character and play in their own way.
