Honestly, the ending isn’t what makes that game. The ending is just the part where they explain what was going on for everyone who didn’t already get it.
The two things that really make Spec Ops: The Line stand out are the stunning use of visual storytelling throughout the game, and the ways in which the game integrates player choices.
To take an example from early in the game, there’s a scene where you’re told to execute one of two prisoners. Because of the way the choice is presented, a lot of players interact exactly how they’re told to, without ever realising that the game actually respects almost any choice you might decide to make in that moment. Kill both, kill neither, kill the gunmen instead… All those options are accepted by the story.
Comparing SOTL to something like Mass Effect is really instructive. It’s astonishing how much more powerful it is simply respect a player’s choices, without tying them to an arbitrary morality system, and without making every choice a clearly defined binary.
without ever realising that the game actually respects almost any choice you might decide to make in that moment. Kill both, kill neither, kill the gunmen instead… All those options are accepted by the story.
You can’t kill both.
If you leave, you die by sniper shot.
If you wait too long, the snipers shoot one of them.
If you attack the snipers, both prisoners die.
All choices come down to the exact same battle. It’s literally the same thing as what Mass Effect does, without even the colour-change ending. The quantum-ogre will ALWAYS be in front of you here, and in other places, it’s even more obvious.
In the scene with WP, the game won’t continue if you don’t push the White Phosphorous button. You can absolutely keep playing, for an insanely long time without pushing the button, but you won’t progress. The game tell you “Press here to meet Quantum Ogre” and won’t let you past without pushing the button.
And then it tries to be all deep, by telling the player they chose to push the button. The game would be significantly more impactful if these choices DID matter. You can’t place blame on a player if the ludology doesn’t allow deviation.
Honestly, the ending isn’t what makes that game. The ending is just the part where they explain what was going on for everyone who didn’t already get it.
The two things that really make Spec Ops: The Line stand out are the stunning use of visual storytelling throughout the game, and the ways in which the game integrates player choices.
To take an example from early in the game, there’s a scene where you’re told to execute one of two prisoners. Because of the way the choice is presented, a lot of players interact exactly how they’re told to, without ever realising that the game actually respects almost any choice you might decide to make in that moment. Kill both, kill neither, kill the gunmen instead… All those options are accepted by the story.
Comparing SOTL to something like Mass Effect is really instructive. It’s astonishing how much more powerful it is simply respect a player’s choices, without tying them to an arbitrary morality system, and without making every choice a clearly defined binary.
All choices come down to the exact same battle. It’s literally the same thing as what Mass Effect does, without even the colour-change ending. The quantum-ogre will ALWAYS be in front of you here, and in other places, it’s even more obvious.
In the scene with WP, the game won’t continue if you don’t push the White Phosphorous button. You can absolutely keep playing, for an insanely long time without pushing the button, but you won’t progress. The game tell you “Press here to meet Quantum Ogre” and won’t let you past without pushing the button.
And then it tries to be all deep, by telling the player they chose to push the button. The game would be significantly more impactful if these choices DID matter. You can’t place blame on a player if the ludology doesn’t allow deviation.