Final Fantasy XIV Online
Experience: Relief
Narrative Technology: Suspense
FF14 infamously kills, kidnaps, and makes characters disappear only to have them reappear, be saved by the player/user, or have the situation resolved later. This is more apparent earlier in the game, later becoming less satisfying and more of a trope. [EXTREME SPOILER] The killing and subsequent slow and dramatic discovery of an alive Gosetsu in Stormblood takes a tense and depressing moment of the story and suddenly turns it into a comedic element for the rest of this chapter of the game.
Contributed by: Owen
March 19, 2026
Baldur's Gate 3
Narrative Technology: Dream of the World
"The githyanki is the source of our protection against the Absolute. I MUST subdue him or everything we've worked towards is lost. Don't let my form deceive you. I am the one that's been protecting you. I am the one that came to you in your dreams. Help me." - This specific moment in the story connects the abstract, seemingly not-real moments that the player dreams of to a physical character that has effects on the story beyond what the player character sees/thinks alone.
Contributed by: Owen
March 19, 2026