Meet ‘Star Trek: Resurgence,’ the Telltale-esque narrative game lost in time

wegotthiscovered.com:

In the medium of video games, choice is imperative. The freedom of interactivity is one of the defining characteristics of the art-form — players control, the game follows. Even in the most rigid games, the option to not play, not experience the narrative, or not engage with the systems are available. In-game choice, however, is more complex; developers must account for all possible permutations of any given choice — those who choose it, those who choose the secondary, those who ignore it completely. Keep adding inflection points and the necessary scripted events grow exponentially out of control. Unless you’re Telltale, that is. 

It’s impossible to discuss the choice-based adventure game without mentioning Telltale: the California-based developer redefined the point-and-click genre with its integration of difficult, heart-wrenching decisions. While its earlier games, particularly Back to the Future: The Game, attempted to draw players in with dynamic actions and simple choices, it wasn’t until the release of The Walking Dead — an adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic of the same name, not affiliated with the TV series — that choice truly mattered to players. Now, every single decision felt like life or death: Do you kill someone who’s infected, or chop off their limb? Do you give someone medication, or food, or a weapon — and can you trust them? The narrative themes fit perfectly with this style of gameplay, in turn helping propel the style to untold heights. Telltale became a high-profile AAA studio that created must-play adventures, and other games — even Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, an action-adventure blockbuster — felt the need to integrate basic choices for no reason. 

While it felt infinite at the moment, Telltale’s