Characters can die or be seriously wounded during their adventures and although death means the end of their story, the larger ballad continues. "Death will be a recurring presence in The Ballad Singer POE currency trade . It's a difficult game where death is part of the story. Death will cause players to use another character in a world influenced by the previous one."
Another character can pick up the adventure when the first falls. According to Bandera, a death can create a new wave of possibilities for the remaining adventurers, which he illustrates with the example of Leon the wizard confronting a dragon.
"Leon could subdue the dragon and use it in the most difficult clashes, or die in the attempt and awaken it. In this case, Leon would put other adventurers in that region in trouble. So death and other choices influence the decision-making path of the other characters. From this point of view, we have revised the concept of Game Over. The story created by the player is only one, but with different points of view."
The Ballad Singer, Bandera assures me, will give the player meaningful choices that irreversibly change the characters and the story each time they play. Will those choices be self-contained, though? So often, meaningful choice in narrative games comes in the form of simple detours from the main plot. Bandera says that unlike neatly packaged side quests that do not interfere with the main plot, The Ballad Singer's four characters will have stories that weave through one another.
"The narrative path will always be coherent POE currency . In fact there are many stories intertwined with each other. Many videogames create neutral narrative blocks and then mix them together. After choosing a character in The Ballad Singer, you will take a series of choices that will change him."
Playing the part
Another challenge The Ballad Singer faces is how to deal with success and failure in a story that won't always take place in the same order. In one ballad the choice to take on a dragon may have a particular outcome, while in another the choices of a previous character may change all the consequences. The Ballad Singer will judge players based on their ability to effectively play the role of the current protagonist, dishing out death or defeat to those who don't respect the characters' abilities.