Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/33443
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/33443
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

> How can I prepare the player for that?

**You don't.**

It's quite simple: you don't _want_ to prepare your player throughout the game of this aspect. You want it to be something special. Most games end when destroying the _Big Bad End Boss_, but you want to make your game special by giving your players more after the normal goal. There are some ways to hint at extra content, such as currently inaccessible landmarks if you insist on making it obvious that something will happen after the boss is defeated.

### Think about making a _second playthrough_

But you should think about whether you want to make this the last _quarter_ of the game or whether you want to make it a _second playthrough_. Look at other games for examples of how this can be done effectively. my favourite example is _Nier Automata_.

**_Following are spoilers for Nier Automata - you have been warned._**

> In the game you first start controlling the main character on her journey to kill the bad guys. In the end she manages do just that - kill the bad guys. It's a happy ending with the bad being dead and the good being not dead. The player feels a sense of accomplishment and thinks he is done.

But then the game tells you that there are huge parts missing and that you should definitely play a second time.

> So you play a second time from the point of view of her helper. There is a lot of _nostalgia_, seeing everything again, but from a different point of view and there are lots of details shown that make you think that the solution may not have been as perfect as you have thought after the first playthrough.

After that the game tells you that there is still something missing. And this is where your idea comes into play.

> The third playthrough _continues_ from where the other two left off. And trust me, it's not a happy ending this time. There are lots of aspects uncovered, little things that were hidden in the other playthroughs, a new character is introduced and there are difficult decisions to be done by the player that will change the ending you get.

### A _second/ third/ ... playthrough_ allows to focus on different characters

By making your exposition a _second playthrough_ you could switch your point of view and you could explore the problems that arise from the previous _solution_. If you want to look at multiple characters you could easily make multiple such _playthroughs_. They are basically just additional chapters, but _Nier Automata_ managed to make the player feel like they already _beat the game_ and then they had the chance to continue and find out _what happened afterwards_ and _how the story continues for the main characters_.

### Hints at other _playthroughs_ could be shown by using different unaccessible story bits - treasure chests that can't be opened, paths that can't be visited, people that can't talk (yet), ...

The game did have some _spoilers_. There were certain treasure chests that the main character in the first playthrough couldn't open, though it was never completely clear whether you would simply get a new ability at some point or whether you had to use a different character. The second playthrough established a few loose ends that needed to be tied together by showing different aspects and motivations of evil enemies. You suddenly wanted to know more about them and get to know them - and if you were careful and looked around you often found out that you didn't really want to hurt them. But you had to. For the greater good... Right...?

### Make your game feel _special_ by giving your players something more to do after playing through the game

You want your players to feel the same way. You don't want to make it too obvious that there is more at the end and you want your game to feel _complete_ after defeating the final boss. But then you want to give the player the _chance_ to explore more if they _want_ to get to know more.

### Making it a different part allows your players to decide for themselves whether they liked the _original ending_ or the _bonus content_ more

This gives your player the chance to change from a simple _Be the main good guy!_-story to a fascinating _What are the ramifications of my actions?_-story and may leave your players with a better feeling. Those who liked the first ending can simply say "I didn't like the additional stuff", while the other players can say "I loved how the story picked up the pieces at the end and went in a different direction". You will make both sides happy.

If you instead made this a _chapter_ you would force everyone to accept the _second ending_. Leaving it up to your player will make it easier for them to feel good remembering your game. There are different types of story-_tellers_ and there are different types of story-_listeners_.

### Possible ways to _hint_ at extra content

If you want to hint at a _second playthrough_ or an _additional chapter_ you can use the approach mentioned above. Simply place items, locations or characters somewhere that are inaccessible to your players and let them figure out that they can get there and see more about your world once they are done. Maybe the Big Bad Evil Boss had a special item. Or your characters gained new abilities. Or maybe the destruction of the Boss changed the landscape for whatever reason. Or maybe people are just suddenly more willing to talk. Or people could suddenly move around more freely and someone from RandomCity1 could help you with a little sidequest in ChanceTown3.

There are many possibilities and even if you simply add a new town "12 years later" you can get your players to enjoy the additional bits of _aftermath_ that you want to show them.

Original score: 7