SJ Longthorne

I don't think a consistent splicing approach would have been the same, because part of the reason I felt all those things at the end was out of longing, because I'd been denied what I wanted so long.

Friends and I have discussed an Abby DLC to the first game, following TLOU's timeline (albeit truncated) and ending with the first game's twist from Abby's perspective. That way we could have built investment in Abby beforehand, been interested enough to cushion the blow.

Expensive, though. Not really viable.

I think I need to divorce myself from my pre-held beliefs that good narrative design always = aligning the player with their character. Because this was intentional, and I'm glad I felt the things I did, had the experience I had. I can learn a LOT from this game.

Hmm. It's interesting. Do you think that's something you want to make the player feel? I guess it makes for a strong experience.

It kinda reminds me of horror games - where your own fear can drive you to play the game in an almost reluctant way. I love horror though, I guess I like the strong emotional response I have to it.

When it's appropriate, yes, I do. Like you say, different genres excel in different ways. It depends on what experience the player is buying your game for.

I'd really like to experiment with what was done here and see if there are other ways to achieve it, but also what other emotional possibilities this presents. Wild what you can unearth when you turn assumptions about "what makes good X" on their heads.