Games about characters who are Trapped by the Narrative - an IFDB Poll

Games about characters being trapped by the themes and plot of the game, with little to no possibility for a good and happy ending, no matter how the characters strive against it. Often dynamic fiction; often with themes about fate, trauma, abuse, disability, or cyclical violence; often horror; none of these elements are mandatory. Sometimes the fourth wall is broken, or the creator of the story called out, to comment on the inevitability of the plot and characters' fates; more often, the endings of the game (or lack thereof) or the minimal valid options imply this quietly. They are also often adaptations of existing stories with bad endings.

NOTE: This isn't the same as an ending that you get no matter what course of action you take to get there, or a generally railroaded game plot. Games that I think count are below; hopefully that gives you a good sense of what I mean since I don't think I can explain this better.

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	Creatures Such As We, by Lynnea Glasser 1 vote "trapped by romance tropes" [+]"trapped by romance tropes" --pieartsy... Vote for this game

	Andromeda Awakening - The Final Cut, by Marco Innocenti 1 vote "The Apocalypse cannot be averted. " [+]"The Apocalypse cannot be averted. : The whole game is about impeding the end of the world. And a lot of other minor things…" --Marco Innocenti... Vote for this game

	Barcarolle in Yellow, by Víctor Ojuel 1 vote "Movie actress moves through scenes that are difficult to discern between reality, story, and film production" [+]"Movie actress moves through scenes that are difficult to discern between reality, story, and film production" ( - Full review) --Jim Nelson... Vote for this game

	Repeat the Ending, by Drew Cook 1 vote "all about trying to escape from a narrative which you repeat over and over" [+]"all about trying to escape from a narrative which you repeat over and over" () --pieartsy... Vote for this game

	DICK MCBUTTS GETS KICKED IN THE NUTS, by Damon L. Wakes (as "Hubert Janus") 1 vote "plenty of fourth-wall-breaking" [+]"plenty of fourth-wall-breaking" --JTN... Vote for this game

	Someone Else's Story, by Emery Joyce 1 vote "when you're doomed by a narrative that's not even yours :(" [+]"when you're doomed by a narrative that's not even yours :(" --EJ... Vote for this game

	Fairest, by Amanda Walker 1 vote "PC is trapped by the narrative" [+]"PC is trapped by the narrative: From the author: a major part of the gameplay was designed specifically to portray the PC as trapped in the conventions of the fairy tale genre." --Amanda Walker... Vote for this game

	Something Blue, by Emery Joyce 1 vote "doomed by the ending of an existing tale" [+]"doomed by the ending of an existing tale" ( - Full review) --pieartsy... Vote for this game

	Andromeda Chained, by Aster Fialla 1 vote "dynamic fiction about the damsel in distress" [+]"dynamic fiction about the damsel in distress: yes it is my own game" --pieartsy... Vote for this game

Is there another game that you think should be on this list? Just fill in the title of a game you'd like to vote for.

Poll created on August 2, 2024