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Golden Path
- 144 statements
- 26 feature instances
- 19 referencing feature instances
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Some video games have a linear set up. Others, usually Visual Novels or games with RPG elements, give the player many choices as to where to go and what to do, and when and what things are done can have an impact on how the game unfolds, sometimes in huge ways. The Golden Path is the path that will offer the player the best gameplay, story, rewards and/or secrets the game has to offer. The Golden Path usually leads to the Golden Ending in Multiple Endings games, and sometimes is the only way to get there, although this is not always the case. Some single-ending games can have a very rewarding Golden Path, usually by using hidden secrets and story elements. Developers can try to avert the creation of a definitive Golden Path by creating unique content for each possible player choice. See Guide Dang It! if following this path isn't intuitive or requires the player to do everything in a specific way. Compare 100% Completion for which this path is almost always a necessity, see also Story Branch Favoritism which is one of the biggest causes of this trope. Sub-Trope of Path of Most Resistance; this trope specifically pertains to entirely different pathways. Has nothing to do with the Dune sequels. Also not to be confused with an in-universe organization in the story of Far Cry 4. |
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| Golden Path / int_102676ff | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_102676ff | comment |
Primordia (2012) has numerous minor choices and puzzle solutions that determine which characters will follow Horatio if you choose to return to the ship at the end of the game. Gathering them all requires a lot of work throughout the entire story. There are two ways of getting that ending, one of which offers a bit more of a "victory" feeling than the other one, in addition to having Horatio learn his true identity. Accessing it, however, requires getting an extra item very early in the game by way of a correct puzzle solution, and then not losing it partway through. This point is known to frustrate some players who, upon being handed a datachip with Horatio's memory files near the end of the game, realize that they can't do anything with it due to missing said item, provided they know it existed at all. |
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| Golden Path / int_15604623 | type |
Golden Path | |
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The best ending in The Black Cauldron is achieved by doing everything Taran did wrong in the movie: Getting Hen-Wen to safety and not letting the Horned King get ahold of him (but not before getting a magic pouch that ensures you will never run out of food from under the bridge. Something that will disappear if you don't get it before this), not using the magic mirror on the witches, and not attempting to throw yourself into the cauldron. Instead, you must find a hidden path to the bellows behind one of the wine barrels, then use the magic mirror on the king to cause him to commit suicide by running into the cauldron and throwing HIMSELF into it. You will then be able to get the magic sword back and become the warrior Taran always wanted to be. | |
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| Golden Path / int_16c83de8 | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_16c83de8 | comment |
Zigzagged in Star Fox 64. There are two endings to the game, each with its own final level. The paths to get there, however, branch all over the place because almost every single mission has a normal and a good victory condition. The red line fits the definition of this trope the most story and gameplay-wise since every level in said line has the player dealing a significant blow to Andross' forces while having more opportunities for higher scores due to the large amount of enemies found in Sector Y, Aquas and Area 6, with a detour to Macbeth instead of going straight to Sector Z being recommended (thanks to the latter level having very few enemy fighters). | |
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| Golden Path / int_1aacbbc9 | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_1aacbbc9 | comment |
Dragon Age: Dragon Age: Origins actually implements invisible level caps on enemies in different world areas (as detailed here) to subtly guide you into an easy quest progression (even though you can actually go wherever you want as soon as you leave Lothering). The first entry in their list is the Mage Tower, which is a very good idea, anyway, because not only will you be able to pick up the designated party healer right away, but you will also be taking full advantage of the numerous, permanent stat boosts that you can get there. In addition, it will also allow you to Take a Third Option when facing a Sadistic Choice later on in the game. In Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, it is best to leave Blackmarsh for last, since you won't be able to induce the party member you recruit on your last mission to the Grey Wardens for plot reasons—but the Blackmarsh recruit luckily does not need to take the Joining. |
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| Golden Path / int_2819aebd | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_2819aebd | comment |
The Mega Man (Classic) games are prime examples of this, more so in the second and third games, in which it was not possible to replay a robot master's stage, and there were items and power-ups that were only accessible using a certain weapon or ability the player may not have possessed yet. Averted in the first game, where a hidden item is required for the fortress, but the game is nice enough to let you replay stages. | |
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| Golden Path / int_2cb2e5e0 | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_2cb2e5e0 | comment |
Breath of Fire II will end the game before the final dungeon if you don't hit every single golden brick in the path. It's also a total Guide Dang It!. You have to recruit the right NPC to your town, save another random guy in a fight, and explore all the nooks and crannies of your town. But if you get it all right you'll get to face an enormous final dungeon, a massive final boss, and get what just might be the longest ending sequence ever made for a video game. (Really, it lasts forever.) | |
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| Golden Path / int_526d4c5c | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_526d4c5c | comment |
In the first Knights of the Old Republic game, it's best if you complete either Tatooine or Kashyyk first and save Manaan for your third adventure and leave Korriban last. Because on the first two planets, the characters HK-47 and Jolee Bindo may join your party and you'll have more chances to know them better, there's also a sidequest that involves Jolee on Manaan; if you attempt to do Korriban any time before that Bastila will stay in the ship during it, so the fact that she will be captured after completing three planets reduces the impact of her absence to zero, at least there. Furthermore, the enemies you have to fight on Tatooine and Kashyyyk are much less nasty than the trouble you run into on Korriban, where almost every enemy is throwing around Force Powers and fighting with lightsabers and those who aren't venture into Lightning Bruiser status. Manaan's enemies don't have the sheer power of Korriban's, but they're still higher-end than you'd run into on Tatooine. In addition, The Reveal will occur after finishing the third plot planet, which will gives you more dialogue options. Leaving Korriban for last will make the level much more interesting. |
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| Golden Path / int_5921531a | type |
Golden Path | |
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In Persona 3 and Persona 4, it is possible to max out all of your social stats and social links in a single playthrough. This is nearly impossible in 3 (you have no leeway at all), slightly less ridiculous in FES (you have roughly four or five days of leeway), and still not that easy in 4. New Game Plus makes it easier; you can't carry over Relationship Values, but you do keep your social stats, freeing up some time. This continues into Persona 5, though it's easier to do it than its predecessors due to introducing several mechanics that either make dungeon exploration much easier or make raising Relationship Values without passing time possible. | |
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| Golden Path / int_5afbc0cb | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_5afbc0cb | comment |
The Pacifist route in Undertale is basically this, though it requires a New Game Plus. You can also take it one step further by doing specific actions with each enemy to get their yellow text (basically, the best outcome for them) in the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue during the credits. | |
| Golden Path / int_5afbc0cb | featureApplicability |
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| Undertale (Video Game) | hasFeature |
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| Golden Path / int_629cd094 | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_629cd094 | comment |
Dragon Age: Origins actually implements invisible level caps on enemies in different world areas (as detailed here) to subtly guide you into an easy quest progression (even though you can actually go wherever you want as soon as you leave Lothering). The first entry in their list is the Mage Tower, which is a very good idea, anyway, because not only will you be able to pick up the designated party healer right away, but you will also be taking full advantage of the numerous, permanent stat boosts that you can get there. In addition, it will also allow you to Take a Third Option when facing a Sadistic Choice later on in the game. | |
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| Golden Path / int_656a52a9 | type |
Golden Path | |
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Fahrenheit includes the possibility of an interactive Optional Sexual Encounter with your former girlfriend if you make the right choices at one point of the game. After that, it's Permanently Missable. | |
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| Golden Path / int_67ce5a04 | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_67ce5a04 | comment |
Fire Emblem Fates has an entire campaign that's the Golden Path: Revelation is a DLC campaign that starts when Corrin takes a third option and sides with neither their birth family nor the family that raised them and ends with the Greater-Scope Villain defeated and Corrin crowned king/queen of Valla. Note that this is the only path that the Greater-Scope Villain can actually be fought in. It also contains the fewest deaths among the main cast, being the only path where all of Corrin's siblings, as well as Azura, survive. | |
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| Golden Path / int_69e47d85 | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_69e47d85 | comment |
In Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, it is best to leave Blackmarsh for last, since you won't be able to induce the party member you recruit on your last mission to the Grey Wardens for plot reasons—but the Blackmarsh recruit luckily does not need to take the Joining. | |
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| Golden Path / int_6c1d09b4 | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_6c1d09b4 | comment |
Fallout 4 has an semi-undocumented golden path in which the Sole Survivor allies with all three opposing factions against the Institute, but it's a Guide Dang It! to figure out. | |
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| Golden Path / int_76686539 | type |
Golden Path | |
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In Mass Effect, it's way better to do the Therum mission first in order to have Liara (the only pure Biotics specialist in the party) in your party as soon as possible, as possibly leave Virmire for last because it ends in a Sadistic Choice where you have to leave either Kaidan or Ashley to a Plotline Death. | |
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| Mass Effect (Video Game) | hasFeature |
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Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_7668653a | comment |
Complete Legion's Loyalty Mission in 2 by choosing to destroy the Geth Heretics (+2 Points). | |
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Golden Path | |
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In 3, The player must complete the mission Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons before starting Priority: Rannoch. | |
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Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_8a373bac | comment |
Frozen Essence has multiple paths, but the only one that solves the mysteries of Mina's lost memories and dreams and explains a lot of things that show up in other paths is the Water Path, which is unlocked only if the player doesn't fulfill the requirements for any other path. Interestingly, the game's proclaimed "True End" is actually on another path (the Life Path), but explicitly states that Mina never regains her memories, hence still leaving the player in the dark about much of the game's backstory. | |
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Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_919c4f7d | comment |
Radiant Historia centers the plot around this. Stocke has to jump back and forth along two different timelines, working out the kinks to produce the "True History" that will prevent global desertification. This is made more complex by another time traveler actively working against him, and by the Golden Path in question being incredibly precise and fragile. Mishandling certain sidequests is enough to send things off track and doom the entire world in that permutation. | |
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Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_999e5e75 | comment |
In Scratches, at one point the main character must call the bank while impersonating someone in order to get information; the outcome doesn't affect the ending, but with the right dialog choices, it's possible to learn some very insightful information. | |
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| Golden Path / int_9c1b9880 | type |
Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_9c1b9880 | comment |
Digimon Survive has three initial story routes depending on the player's Karma Meter. The secret Golden Ending route that ensures everyone's survival is only available on a New Game Plus and requires you to have high affinities with certain characters. | |
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Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_a2c37f38 | comment |
In Planescape: Torment, your Amnesiac Hero has three classes available to him; Fighter, Mage, Thief, with Mage adding the most to the overall story. Justified, as the Nameless One was an Evil Sorcerer in his past life. | |
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Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_a2f5534c | comment |
In King's Quest VI, after resolving the Beast subplot, Alexander can either head straight for the Castle of the Crown, or get there by a longer path which involves retrieving Cassima's parents from the Realm of the Dead. The long path is required for the best possible ending, of course. | |
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Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_bba9da2d | comment |
In Zero Escape, the player's attempts to reach this path are parallel to the protagonists- all of whom are Shifters- doing the same thing. They belong to the organisation Crash Keys, which prevents various apocalyptic crises from coming to pass. They see the Golden Path as an ironclad possibility that needs to be found or protected; actively deciding what little things shouldn't be part of the Path is not their goal. Of course, Shifters are still people at heart, so they will move mountains to avoid an-otherwise Golden Path in which their personal loved ones are dead. | |
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Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_d2bb929d | comment |
In SoulCalibur III, picking specific choices during each character's Tales of Souls story mode (different choices for each character) leads them to a labyrinth, where they get the chance to battle Olcadan. Winning the battle will change their final boss from Abyss to Night Terror. | |
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Golden Path | |
| Golden Path / int_e5d73aa6 | comment |
The Grow series from Eyezmaze is all about finding the right order to add things in order to get the maximum result. | |
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